We’ve had a wonderful week celebrating all things reading! A huge thank you to Callington Library, who kindly gifted our pupils a set of Tom Palmer’s If the Invader Comes. We were also delighted to celebrate the children who took part in the Summer Reading Challenge, presenting them with their well-earned certificates. To make our reading celebrations even more special, local author Laura Sweet visited KS2 and treated us to a reading from her new book, The Vines of Vegeance. The children thoroughly enjoyed hearing from a real author and finding out about her new story. If you missed the opportunity to pick up a signed copy after school, The Vines of Vegeance can also be found on Amazon. It has been fantastic to see so much enthusiasm for books and reading across the school!

Computing
In Computing, we have been developing our coding skills using micro:bits. The children worked out how to program their micro:bit to act as a pedometer, using code to count their steps and display the total on the screen. We then challenged ourselves further by changing the variables in our programs so that, after displaying the number of steps, the screen would go blank. It was a great opportunity to experiment with our code, test our ideas and make changes to improve how our programs worked.

History
As we conclude our Vikings topic, the children have brought together everything they have learnt in an impressive extended piece of writing. They have produced detailed reports showcasing their knowledge and understanding of when and where the Vikings came from, how they traded and travelled, and some of the fascinating Viking sagas we have explored. This included the story of Leif Erikson and his voyage to Vinland. The class have done a fantastic job of organising and presenting their information clearly, using their historical knowledge to create engaging and informative reports. We have been incredibly impressed with their hard work and enthusiasm throughout this topic!

That is it for another week in Class 2! It has been another amazing week of learning in our class.

In Maths, both year groups are ploughing on with mastering their addition and subtraction. While Year 1s have been playing with different manipulatives to make number bonds, Year 2s have been using their knowledge of number bonds to 10 to add bigger numbers. In Literacy, we have begun a new unit of work. This time, we are learning how to describe a setting. This week, we have concentrated on revising our understanding of identifying the verb and subject and then adding adverbial of time to our simple sentence.

In Science, we planned and conducted our first practical investigation. We worked in groups to investigate the impact of exercise on our bodies.  In History, we consolidated our learning from this unit by first discussing how we are all making history. We discussed what new information we found about how childhood was different in the past and some surprising things we found out about how some things have stayed the same. We then handled some toys from the recent past and discussed how they were same / different from our toys today. Above is a montage of photos from our busy afternoon of looking at these toys. We ended our week with a fabulous time at Forest School where we baked some amazing cakes in our mud kitchen, had a go at building a den (and trying to bring down the giant pine tree using our rope!!!), dug for treasure, build some very cute fairy houses and cooking (and eating) smores by the fire.

Finally, we celebrate all the amazing things we have learned this week. Everyone has been absolutely fabulous. However, we can choose only 3 children for our values certificates. So, here goes a very well done to:
> Elowen for getting the Ready Award for her amazing work during Literacy lesson and working independently to complete her task
> Henry W for getting the Respectful Award for always using a respectful voice in the classroom and always waiting for his turn to speak
> Fin for getting the Safe Award for being a kind and gentle friend to everyone in class and always helping to keep our classroom clean and tidy

With half term around the corner, we are nearing the end of many units of work across the school. Children are demonstrating their learning and understanding of the concepts taught. Here is sample of some of that work:

Maths
I had the pleasure of cover teaching in Class 1 this week. In maths, they have been learning about prepositional language; the words we use to describe the position of an object in relation to something else. From the wonderful Pat Hutchins book, Rosie's Walk, Maeve was able to use the small world play table to describe where Rosie was in relation to items around the farmyard. She also drew a treasure map and talked about things being 'next to', 'above', 'in' and 'under' in relation to other things. Developing language is such a key aspect of early years learning, it was great to see how Tom Ottewell-Taylor and Abi Flashman design these language rich learning opportunities for the class.



Forest School
I had a second helping of Class 1 this afternoon, as Abi Flashman had to leave early with the cross country runners for the first race of the season at Great Trethew. During forest school, the children cooked s'mores, made fairy houses, cooked up recipes in the mud kitchen and searched for the minibeast and wildlife living in this part of the school. It was lovely to eaves drop on the conversations as the children explored wherever their imagination took them.



Science
Class 3 children have been learning about magnets. This week, they applied learning so far to explore making their own compass. From the thumbs up, Freya and Emily clearly succeeded in this task. As science lead, Sam Watts is passionate about investigations in science, where children can apply their learning or explore a hypothesis. 



Art
After half term, art lead Tom Ottewell-Taylor, is planning an exhibition of children's artwork from the term so far. Class 4 children have been applying their learning about typeface design to make these 3D maps, which they look forward to sharing with their families at the exhibition.



Author Visit
Today, local author Laura Sweet joined junior children to talk about her latest book and to read an extract. The children then had the opportunity to ask Laura questions. As English lead, Melissa Pinfield is always looking for opportunities such as this to inspire our children as both readers and writers.



Summer Reading Challenge
Well done to the 22 children who completed the summer reading challenge at Callington Library. Today, librarian Christine joined our weekly celebration assembly to present certificates to the group. It is fantastic that so many of our families use the local library.



Fencing Update
You may have noticed that new gates have been installed on the school drive. To minimise disruption, the contractors are hoping to complete installation of new fencing around the front of the school over the half term break.

Harvest Assembly
A reminder of the invitation to  join us next Thursday morning at 9.15am for our harvest assembly at the village hall.

I look forward to sharing more of what has been happening at Harrowbarrow next week.

Science

This week in Science, we have been investigating friction and learning how it affects the movement of objects. Using Newton meters, the children measured the amount of friction produced by different surfaces and explored how scientists can use these measurements in real-life situations. To make our learning even more meaningful, the pupils helped me decide which tyres would be best to put on my bike for travelling along different tracks, considering how grip and friction can make a big difference.



English

In English, we have been busy writing our own outlaw stories inspired by the legendary tales of Robin Hood and Blackbeard. The children have shown great creativity and imagination, developing exciting plots, memorable characters and adventurous settings. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they have brought their ideas to life through their writing.


Maths

In Maths, Year 5 have been completing their unit on addition and subtraction, while Year 6 have been finishing their work on all four operations. The children have worked hard to strengthen their calculation skills and apply them confidently when solving problems. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing everyone on Monday for another week of learning and achievement.

What have your children been up to?
Last week, our infants visited The Box museum in Plymouth to engage in an art workshop. On Friday, a group of Year 5 and 6 pupils joined Melissa Pinfield at the University of Plymouth to celebrate their work as part of an arts and sustainability project in collaboration with the Orwell Society. George Orwell's son, Richard Blair, was in attendance to introduce the event and the children's work was on display for guests to view.





Whilst there may not have been any trips off site this week, there has been plenty to celebrate in school. Class 3 and 4 children continue to work on their end of unit artwork. We hope to share this with our parents and carers at an exhibition after half term. In the meantime, here is a teaser of what Class 3 have been doing. Using a set design with lighting, they used charcoal and chalk to create dramatic sketches. I think Eva's is very atmospheric.



Harvest Celebrations
Once again this year, we will be supporting the Callington Foodbank during our harvest celebrations. If you would like to donate any of the following items, please send them in with your child on Thursday 22nd October. I will then deliver all donations to the foodbank.
-Tinned Fruit
-Sponge puddings
-Pasta sauce
-Jam/marmalade
-Tinned carrots
-Washing pods
-Female deodorant
-Fruit juice cartons
-Tinned cold meats
-Crisps/sweets/lunchbox items
-Mashed potato
-Tinned sweetcorn
-Savoury biscuits
-Children's toothbrushes
-Baked beans
-Noodles and pasta pots
-Rice (including wholemeal)
-Small jars of coffee
-Long life (UHT) milk
-Tinned soup
-Tinned tomatoes

Dates
As we near the end of this half term, there are a few key dates to share:

14.10.26 - Last swimming session for Class 3
16.10.26 - First cross country run of the year at Great Trethew for club members
22.10.26 - Harvest assembly at village hall at 9.15am. All parents and carers welcome. This is also the last pupil day before half term.
22.10.26 - PSA disco from 4pm at the village hall
23.10.26 - School closed to pupils for teacher training.
2.11.26 - First pupil day after half term

It was a real privilege this week to see three members of our class attend the presentation evening at Plymouth University alongside representatives from the Orwell Society and members of Plymouth University. We were incredibly proud of how they represented our school and celebrated the fantastic work they had completed. Mrs May was joined by George Orwell's son, Richard Blair, who presented with a piece of slate from teh roof of Orwell's cottage in Jura.  What a lovely memento to have.  Many thanks to the George Orwell Society for their kind gift.   During the evening, we were delighted to receive two wonderful books: The Bluest of Blues, which tells the inspiring story of Anna Atkins, and a children's adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm. We also collected our beautiful artwork and poetry, inspired by flowers and created using the cyanotype technique, which looked fantastic on display.

Back in the classroom, we have been putting the finishing touches to our exciting outlaw narratives, ready to write up and share with others. In science, we have been investigating the best shapes for swim gloves, exploring how streamlined designs help objects move more efficiently through water. Through testing and discussion, we have been considering which shapes reduce resistance and make the most effective designs. Well done to everyone for another week of creativity, hard work and curiosity! 

This week in Class 2, we have not only been writing and playing with numbers, but we have also had a blast creating a balanced menu and drawing autumn leaves. 

In Literacy, we have completed our first unit of work. Not only have we learned to write a letter, we have also learned to write clearer more descriptive sentences using adverbials and expanded noun phrases. We cannot wait to start on our next unit of work next week. In Maths, while Year 1 have been looking at part-whole models and using them to write addition sentences, Year 2 have been making number bonds. 

In Science, we took our learning from last week to plan a balanced menu for ourselves. In History, we watched some of the recordings from the previous lessons where we interviewed Eva's granny about her childhood and discussed what we understood about childhood today and in the past. We then took our understanding to discuss what things might have changed over the years. We could not have Forest School this week. However, we brought the forest school into the classroom by creating an Autumn forest floor in the class and using that to create wax-resist Autumn leaves. Have a look at some of our very colourful creations below.

Finally, a very well done to:
> Luna for getting the Ready Award for some amazing writing in Literacy.
> Charlotte for getting the Respectful Award for always doing very good listening during carpet time.
> Evie for getting the Safe Award for being a very good friend and helping her friend write better sentences.

It has been another great week of learning in Class 2.

In Literacy, we are getting to the end of our first unit of work. We have all worked really hard trying to remember what Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives are, while learning to edit our work by adding adverbials. The photo here is a sample of work by 2 of the children in the class - the first one is a paragraph written by a Year 2, while the second one is a sentence written independently by one of our Year 1s. Aren't  they just amazing?

In Maths, both year groups have completed their first unit of work on Place Values. We have had 21 great reasons to celebrate what we have learned and achieved as a class in Maths this term! Our Hot Task scores were off the charts, which only shows how hard every one of the children worked to practice and learn their place value facts. This week, we have all now started an exciting new unit on Addition and Subtraction.

In Science, we learned about the importance of eating the right kind of food. We tried our best to remember why our body needs carbohydrates, protein, calcium and vitamins. This week in RE, we have begun exploring how Christians bring Jesus' good news to others around them. We learned about sone of the charitable work that Christian Aid does for people in need around the world. In History, we learned about what childhood was like for our parents and grandparents. Thanks to Eva's nanny who came in to the class on Wednesday to help us answers our many questions, we now had a good idea of the similarities and difference between childhood now and in the past. This week's Forest School was all about exploring colours and textures. We spend time taking crayon rubbings of the many different surfaces and textures around us. We even used light colour washes to see if it could lift and enhance our rubbings. We ended it with a quick quesadilla around the fire circle.

Finally, it will be wrong not to talk about the most exciting learning of the week - Class 1 and 2's trip to the Box to explore the works of Gillian Ayres. Below is a quick look in pictures of some of the many exciting things we saw and did on Thursday.

And I cannot end a class blog without celebrating the amazing work everyone in the class have been doing. However, every Friday, we can only choose 3 children for the Celebrations certificate. This week, we say well done to:
> Sammy for getting the Ready Award for making amazing progress in Maths.
> Rosanna for getting the Respectful Award for her impeccable presentation.
> Ernie for getting the Safe Award for being a kind and gentle friend and allowing others to join in his games.

Copilot This week, we have been busy learning across the curriculum. In English, we have been exploring the legend of Robin Hood and learning about his adventures, characters and setting. We have looked closely at the features of the story and gathered ideas ready for writing our own exciting Robin Hood narratives next week. The children have enjoyed discussing how Robin Hood outwitted his enemies and helped those in need.

In Science, the class became engineers as they investigated parachute designs. They carried out fair tests to discover which parachutes fell most slowly, helping me decide on the best design for a new cycling jacket. The children carefully observed, measured and recorded their results before discussing which features made a parachute most effective.

In Computing, we have been creating animations using Micro:Bit devices. The children enjoyed programming different sequences and seeing their ideas come to life.

In Maths, Year 6 have been exploring different multiplication strategies and thinking carefully about how known facts can help us solve new calculations. For example, we have used ×10 and then divided by 2 to work out questions involving ×5. Meanwhile, Year 5 have been completing their place value unit by tackling challenging reasoning questions, such as finding the smallest and largest numbers that round to 360 when rounding to the nearest 10. These tricky problems have certainly stretched our understanding and encouraged us to explain our mathematical thinking with confidence.

It has been another productive and enjoyable week, and we are looking forward to sharing our Robin Hood stories with you next week.

The best week ever!

Class 2 had a awesome week, which ended with the first ever share-a-book-Friday. We had an amazing time sharing our books while snuggled in with our blankets and cuddly toys. We really enjoyed discovering new and amazing books.

In Maths, both Year 1s and 2s have been comparing and ordering different objects and numbers. Year 2s have also worked really hard to master counting  in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s. In Literacy, we have been learning to use subordinating conjunctions to modify a verb. While Year 1s have been learning to use "because" , Year 2s have been learning to use "because" and "when". In Science, we explored what humans need to survive and looked at how this list might differ from that of animals.

In RE, we have begun to understand the meaning of peace and how following Jesus might bring peace to Christians. In History, we spent time discussing how we mark special events in our lives. In Computing, we explored different gadgets that might have a computer inside them.

Finally, in Art, we used our sketchbooks for some life drawings. We spent time sketching different natural objects we used last week in our nature art. We also took inspiration from the amazing watercolours by Jackie Morris to help us plan our drawings and the colours we used in them. I wish I could post all the wonderful drawings the class produced this afternoon! Every drawing was unique, every one beautiful, every one absolutely original and amazing. Here is a montage of some of the works from our sketchbook work.

A very well done to:
> Nellie for getting the Ready Award for her amazing writing and maths.
> Freddie for getting the Respectful Award for always following class rules.
> Flo for getting the Safe Award for coming into class with a sunny smile and making everyone just that bit cheerier.

Working around lessons this week, I have been impressed by the level of effort from the children. This is only the third week back, but already we are seeing a high level of learning and some strong outcomes. As ever, it is great to be able to share some of this with our school community.

Art
Class 4 have been using a map as a background to sketch work. The focus has been on using soft B pencils to draw strong lines that dominate the page, distracting the viewer from the background. I think these dragon images certainly draw attention away from the maps behind.




Class 3 continue to use charcoal this week. After studying ancient cave paintings, the children created their own through different types of hand prints.
 

Writing
Both junior classes have been doing some paired writing this week. In Class 4, partners Jack and Anoud wrote this paragraph in the form of a non-chronological report about an outlaw:

In the heart of Sherwood Forest, lived Robin Hood, a selfless outlaw during the 1600. For years, his generosity to the poor was immaculate; he could steal from the noble for the unwanted. Since Robin was a kind hearted man, he was hated by the heartless sheriff of the state. He was often chased by the guards; he outran them by a fair distance. He will always be honoured in lots of books today. 

Clubs
It is great we have so many children wanting to join our after school clubs this term. Many of the clubs have been oversubscribed and children placed on waiting lists. We will try to ensure fairness by prioritising these children for clubs in the future. This term we are offering:

- First Lego League Lego Robotics Competition Team (Years 5 & 6)
- Musical Theatre (Years 3 - 6)
- Forest School (Years 3 - 6)
- Cross Country (Years 3 - 6)
- Multi Skills with Pro 20 Sports (Years 1 & 2)

In addition, our peripatetic music teachers are offering the following individual and group lessons:
-Rocksteady Band
-Brass
-Guitar
-Piano

If your child is interested in learning an instrument, please contact Amy Souch in the school office for contact details.

Snacks
In Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, the government provide free fruit and vegetables to ensure a daily healthy snack. Children have a range of healthy options to choose from, including bananas, apples, pears, oranges, tomatoes, mini cucumbers and carrots. This isn't provided for children in Years 3- 6. However, children are welcome to bring the same fruit or vegetable snack for their morning break. We ask that children don't bring crisps, chocolate bars, biscuits etc as we want to maintain the healthy eating culture established in the infants. For children attending after school childcare club, please feel free to send them with an equally healthy snack.

Security Fencing
Bridge MAT managed to secure Department for Education funding to replace our perimeter fencing, which was starting to fail in places. New fencing is currently being installed around the school field and will also be extended to the front of the school in the coming weeks. At the moment, the new fencing has made some wooded areas of our field inaccessible but these will be accessible through gates that have yet to be installed as the contractors are still awaiting their delivery. In addition, Sarah Marley has secured 135 native tree saplings through the Woodland Trust. These will be planted by the children in November, inside the boundary of the new fence.

I look forward to sharing more of the children's learning next week.

This week, we were delighted to launch our Reading Buddies scheme with Class 1. Our Year 5 and 6 pupils thoroughly enjoyed sharing stories with the Reception children, who listened beautifully and loved hearing the different books. It was wonderful to see the older pupils taking on their roles as reading role models, helping to build confidence and nurture a love of reading across the school. The sessions were full of smiles, enthusiasm and thoughtful conversations about the stories.

In Maths, Year 6 have been developing their understanding of factors and multiples, using their reasoning skills to solve a range of challenges. Meanwhile, Year 5 have been practising rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100, becoming increasingly confident in explaining their methods. In English, we have been exploring how adverbs and adverbials can add detail and interest to sentences as part of our learning about outlaws. We have enjoyed creating descriptive sentences and are looking forward to using these skills when writing our own non-chronological reports next week.

In Science, we investigated whether the mass of a ball affects the rate at which it falls, making predictions, carrying out fair tests and discussing our results. We have also been learning about Sir Isaac Newton and his discoveries about gravity, linking our investigations to his important scientific work. It has been another busy week of learning and discovery. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and look forward to welcoming everyone back next week for more exciting learning and new challenges.

Art
I teach Class 3 on Thursday afternoons and this week they were learning to use charcoal as a medium in art lessons. We explored the idea of Chiaroscuro (light and dark) in art. Using different charcoals and techniques the class observed rocks and made these sketches: Isla (left) Oliver (right). The darkness and light created with different techniques has contributed to the overall effect.

Friendship Bench
Thank you to Sarah Marley, who successfully secured this free bench for our playground. Donated by the Lazy Susan Furniture Company, this has been introduced to the the children as a friendship bench. If they are looking for someone to play with at breaktime, they can sit on the bench and other children will see they need a buddy and invite them to play.




Meet The Teacher
Thank you to the parents and carers of all our new reception children who joined Abi Flashman and Tom Otterwell-Taylor for an information session this week. We hope you found it useful.

Staff Update
I am delighted to share the exciting news that through their outstanding practice, Tom Otterwell-Taylor and Abi Flashman have been appointed as early years subjects leaders across the 15 schools of Bridge MAT. Tom has also taken on the leadership of art across the Trust. In addition to this, Sam Watts is leading on Showbie, the app used across Trust schools to support children's learning. These appointments reflect the excellent work and level of expertise of these teachers.

We have had another super week here in Class 2.

In Maths, both years 1 and 2 are almost at the end of their first unit of work on Place Values. This week, Year 1s have been counting forward to and back from 10, finding 1 more and 1 less than a number and comparing numbers. Year 2s, on the other hand, have been using deins to split large numbers and writing them in their expanded forms, using number lines and comparing numbers.

In Literacy, we are learning to write a recount. This week, learned to use the adverb of place and time, and coordinating conjunctions. We used our learning to write the introduction and first paragraph of our recount.

In Science, we are learning all about living things and how they grow. This week, we recapped our understanding of what different animals eat and considered all the things that are essential for our survival.

In RE, we explored the Christian concept of forgiveness. In History, we have begun to look at our own personal histories and talk some significant events in our lives. In Computing, we looked at how technology is controlled after which we designed our own robots with our own unique set of controls.

In Art, we have begun to look at how artists explore and collect things to help them create their art. We considered how artists use of sketchbooks to collect and preserve their impressions and how we could also do the same using our art sketchbooks. We also looked at some works by Andy Goldworth and went out into the forest school for an afternoon of foraging, collecting and arranging to create some Goldsworthy inspired nature art. Here are some of the amazing works we created this afternoon!

Finally, a very well done to:
> Ysella for getting the Ready Award for working really hard at Maths and putting in extra effort to master the art of flexibly splitting big numbers.
> Viv for getting the Respectful Award for always taking care to present all her work neatly.
> Rowan for getting the Safe Award for always taking care of his friends.

NOTE:
Please note that we have an additional day of PE with Pro20 every week starting next week. Besides Tuesday, please sent your children in their PE kits on a Thursday too. 
Friday, 25 September 2026 is Share-a-book-Friday.