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.

Class 2 have been exploring where and how a variety of ingredients are grown. They then cooked with some of the ingredients they had been learning about and made these delicious honey and cinnamon biscuits. Recipe attached for anyone who would like to try.

https://lovehilltop.com/blogs/recipes/joules-honey-cinnamon biscuits?srsltid=AfmBOorip9B6oxecT4xBkkhbGQi_RMTKL0AYgUxIMOwdX5BhagYFxiwM

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!

Springtime Magic at Storytellers Nursery!

Spring half-term has been blooming with wonder and excitement at Storytellers Nursery! Our curious little learners have been busy exploring the magic of life cycles, and what a joyful journey it has been.

 The highlight of the term was watching tiny caterpillars grow and transform before our eyes. The children were fascinated as they observed each stage—from wriggling caterpillars munching leaves, to silent, still chrysalises, and finally, the beautiful butterflies emerging with their delicate wings. There were squeals of delight as one of our little learners released them into the garden at home, waving goodbye as they fluttered off into the spring sunshine.

At the same time, our nursery has been filled with eager anticipation as we waited for our chick eggs to hatch. The children watched over them carefully in the incubator, asking questions, making predictions, and learning about the early stages of life. The moment the first fluffy chick broke free from its shell was pure magic! The chicks have quickly become beloved members of our class, with children taking turns to gently hold them and learn how to care for them.

  As we approached Easter, the excitement didn’t stop. Our Easter Egg Hunt was a delightful success, with hidden treats waiting behind every corner of the garden. The children had so much fun searching high and low, laughing, and working together to find their chocolatey surprises.

 To celebrate the end of this wonderful term, we hosted a party lunch themed on The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Inspired by the beloved story, our tables were full of colourful fruits and treats, including some pickles to try! It was a joyful, delicious way to wrap up a term full of growth, learning, and laughter.

 We are so proud of everything our little storytellers have achieved this spring. As we look ahead to the summer term, we can’t wait for more adventures and magical moments together.

Children from Duloe and Pelynt took part in an alternative sports day at Looe Academy. The children got to try a range of sports including fencing, archery and segway riding. The children competed alongside 13 other schools and children from Pelynt did particularly well in winning the most ‘sporting’ team of the day by encouraging others and helping children from different schools.

Welcome back to Class 4.  It is great to see everyone after the Easter break. 

This week, Year 5s have enjoyed their residential in Porthpean.  I think the highlight was Mr Watts dressed up in the evening as part of the entertainment. 

Here are the KIRFs for this term as well as the curriculum overview.  This term we are looking at the Tudors as our topic and Year 6 and their partner have been researching facts about the Tudors for a class book. 

In a few weeks, Year 6 have SATs.  Here is the SATs timetable for Year 6s for SATs week for your information. 

Ocean Conservation Trust Workshop

With thanks to the Ocean Conservation Trust, we ended the half term with a bang! 

The Ocean-Climate Roadshow included jaw-dropping combustion demonstrations to help explain how energy is generated; hands-on practical investigations, exploring the cause and effect of climate change and discovering superhero seagrass and learning how it helps to reduce carbon emissions and moving towards a carbon-neutral future.

w/e 4.4.25

As we come to the end of the Spring term, we haven't slowed down! And our Roman Chariots weren't slowing down either! We really enjoyed using the saws and making our chariots, and then racing them in the hall together!

This week, we also practiced our new playground game, Cups and Saucers and thought about our emotions when using the Internet.

And of course, we enjoyed our FANTASTIC overnighter to Dartmoor!

w/e 4.4.25

As we come to the end of the Spring term, we haven't slowed down! And our Roman Chariots weren't slowing down either! We really enjoyed using the saws and making our chariots, and then racing them in the hall together!

This week, we also practiced our new playground game, Cups and Saucers and thought about our emotions when using the Internet

And before we know it, a whole term has ended... and Class 2 have had so much fun learning and growing together. 

In Literacy, we have almost all completed our own version of the poem Calico Pie by Edward Lear. We also had the chance to perform the first 2 stanzas of the poem in front of the entire school on Friday.

We ended our term with a big Maths Easter Egg Hunt on Friday. While Year 2s had a go at solving some Maths problems that they found inside their eggs, Reception and Year 1s went on a number hunt. We ended the hunt by 'feasting' on the chocolate eggs the easter Bunny had dropped off earlier!

We were also very lucky to be able to perform to our family and friends some of the songs we sing regularly in class during our Singing Assembly on Monday. If Class 2 families would like join in and sing with us, just follow the links below.

On Wednesday, Class 1 and 2 went on a class trip to the Box in Plymouth for a most educational workshop on toys. We had a wonderful guided tour of the exhibits where we saw a life-size replica wooly mammoth, wonderful artefacts from around the world collected by some awesome explorers and a virtual history Plymouth. Did you know that there are more than 600 shipwrecks in the waters off Plymouth Sound? We wrapped all up with an amazing STEM workshop about toys.