I hope you are well and enjoyed the summer break albeit with a mixed bag of weather.  

Staff have been busily preparing for the beginning of the Autumn Term and completedin-service training (INSET) on Tuesday to prepare for the childrens return yesterday.

Thank you for ensuring the children have returned to school looking so smart in their uniforms. It can be tricky to find shoes and all the right sized clothing especially when we know they will grow out of it so quickly! If you have struggled to obtain any part of your childs uniform and need any help, please contact the School Office. We dont use any branded uniform; we try hard to keep prices low to make it affordable for all our families.  

Harrowbarrow

A warm welcome to the staff, children and parents of Harrowbarrow Primary who officially joined the Trust on 1st September. We look forward to working with you.

Copper Valley

We are also pleased to announce that Delaware and Gunnislake have now officially moved to become Copper Valley Infant and Nursery Academy, and Copper Valley Junior Academy. The name change arose to keep both schools viable, working together with one head teacher. There is a visible change across the schools and lovely to see the children in their new uniform with their new logo designed by one of the pupils.  

Pupil Results

Formal assessments have taken place in EYFS, Year 1 phonics check, Year 2, Y4 multiplication tables test and Year 6 SATs. We are extremely proud of the children and staff as headline figures show the Trust is significantly higher than the national averages in many areas. Our continued aim is to ensure all children are where they need to be in the next 12 months, ready to move to their next phase.

Thank you for your continued support as the Autumn Term begins, we have enjoyed welcoming the children back to school this week. We look forward to a successful first half term. 

With all good wishes,

Adrian Massey and everyone in Bridge Schools

Harrowbarrow Primary Academy

I would like to warmly welcome the staff, children and parents of Harrowbarrow Primary Academy to Bridge Schools Trust and I hope that you are as excited as I am at the prospect of realising the opportunities that present themselves for your children being part of a wider collective.

As you know for the past few months Harrowbarrow school has been in the process of transferring to Bridge Schools. We were delighted to get final confirmation on 1st September that Harrowbarrow has become an integral and valued member of our amazing group of schools. 

Bridge Schools started in 2013, and weve grown to include 15 schools of all shapes and sizes across East Cornwall some with as few as 26 children and some with over 400. This diversity and the way we work collaboratively gives us great strength. Whilst we all work closely together in terms of training, school improvement and opportunities for children, we recognise the importance for each and every school to retain their own character, reflecting their own local community. We have worked hard over the years to bring about improvements for all of our schools, developing a track record of moving schools up to a strongly good position.

As we reach the end of the summer term, I would like to congratulate the children and staff for all their hard work and efforts during this year. Well done everyone! A reflection of an awful lot of work from Bridge Schools children and staff.

Thank you to you as parents for your assistance with the many school activities during this academic year; supporting with homework, reading, equipment, uniform, keeping your childrens days of school attendance up and making sure the children are ready to learn.

We are delighted to announce that Harrowbarrow will be joining Bridge Schools from next academic year. Staff at the school have already met with many staff from across the Trust and we look forward to welcoming them to the team officially from September.

Farewell to Year 6 Class of 24I really hope you have enjoyed this year and the previous years in primary school. We hope you have learned all you need to prepare you for secondary school. Remember us and go on to achieve great things, we all wish you the very best.

We wish Headteacher Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy Mrs Suzanne Cooper a long and happy retirement as she bids farewell after more than 36 years providing dedicated service as a class teacher, nursery teacher, deputy head and head teacher. Also, Clare Semple who has worked for over 16yrs as class teacher, Head of School and SENCo., Sandra Jeffrey who has been a teaching assistant for over 25yrs, Oli Jones class teacher and sports coach for over 21yrs and Katie Lee Elkins one of our capable assistant heads who also leave us this summer. We thank them very much for their service and dedication to Bridge Schools children. We wish all other staff members leaving us at the end of this term all the very best for the future and thank them too. 

We have an extraordinary group of people who have chosen to work at Bridge Schools. Staff have gone above and beyond again this year to ensure the children have the very best opportunities possible. I would like to thank them for their enthusiasm to achieve great things for all the children in our schools. Governors, trustees and members have all given a great deal of time voluntarily again this year, providing challenge and support, my thanks also go to them.

My greatest thanks and accolades as ever go to the children. They have navigated their way through another academic year showing their determination and ability to succeed, supported by staff, governors, trustees and parents working stronger together. 

I hope everyone enjoys a lovely summer holiday; we look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Wednesday 4th September.

With all good wishes

Adrian Massey - CEO

On Monday, 1st July, a unique event took place in France; a World War 2 plane scattered poems- written by the children of Bridge Schools -over The Somme. The poems, based on World War 1, were written onto special, biodegradable paper containing wildflower seeds: those of remembrance poppies for the UK, cornflowers for France and forget-me-nots for Germany. The flowers will now grow as living words to symbolise peace and friendship, whilst remembering the bravery of those who fought for our freedom.

The two-year project, led by Sally Crabtree (international poet), Pete White (Events Manager, Bodmin Airfield), the World War 1 Aviation Society in Essex and Dani May (Bridge Schools Trust Lead for English), also developed new and special links between schools in England and France, with a focus on literacy, creativity and heritage.

To mark the first phase of the project, some of those poems were flown back to Ors in France last summer by visiting pilots from Europe and taken to a commemorative service held in Ors; whilst Bridge Schools attended a celebratory event at Bodmin Airfield. Since then, Sally Crabtree continued to develop long-lasting links between the Cornish schools and schools in France, which are situated close to the Wilfred Owen Museum. The Wilfred Owen Society have taken a keen interest in the links and children's work has previously been projected onto the walls of the museum.

This summer, two unique events on both sides of the channel took the project to a new level: the first being a fluttering of the seeded poems from a vintage plane over The Somme this week and the second being a fluttering of the same poems over Bodmin Airfield later this month.

Following these special cross-channel events, Sally Crabtree will then continue to help the children of Bridge Schools to sustain the links between our partner schools in France and the Wilfred Owen Society. Another aspect of the project, moving forwards, has been helped by Anthea Hill (Head of Polperro School) who is also hosting English and French lessons via a digital platform with the partner school in Ors.

Chief Executive, Adrian Massey said; This has been an incredible event for our children. It has helped them both to remember the sacrifices of war but to understand the need; now more than ever, to celebrate the British Values of respect, tolerance and individual liberty following the tragedies of war. I am so grateful to everyone involved in providing this opportunity to connect with other children in France and for our children to remember the lives lost in such a dynamic way.  

 Democracy, Rule of Law, Respect and Tolerance, Individual Liberty

At the end of this academic year we will be saying our fond farewells to Mrs. Cooper as she retires following many years of outstanding service to the school. Mrs. Cooper has worked incredibly hard alongside the staff team to secure an excellent quality of education for our children at Brunel; we are very grateful for all her years of loyal service.

Bridge Schools are delighted to announce Mr. Darren Woolner has been appointed as the new headteacher and will take up the post in September. Mr. Woolner is an experienced leader who has worked at several schools in the Plymouth and Saltash area. His previous roles have allowed him to develop a comprehensive understanding of both the academic and pastoral needs of children and is committed to continuing the inclusive and supportive environment Brunel enjoys where every child is encouraged to achieve.

Mr. Woolner will be spending time at Brunel Academy over the coming weeks, which will give children, staff and parents an opportunity to meet with him before the end of the summer term. and give him a warm welcome.

Groups of children from across Bridge Schools have been trained to become young journalists. They have looked at news stories from across the trust to celebrate our shared values in each of our schools.

We are delighted to bring you Bridge Stories Issue 3 Keeping Active, Taking Action.

The journalism comes from the children themselves, publishing their ideas and views about the learning that goes on across the trust. 

Thank you for taking the time to read through their work.

To view issue 1, click here.  To view issue 2 click here.

A small group of pupils from Darite Primary Academy the Darite Virtual Pros had a wonderful time at the National Finals in Harrogate.

Darite were up against 73 other teams including private schools, secondary schools, grammar schools and computing clubs. Darite Virtual Pros were placed 22nd in this national event. 

 The whole team represented the school amazingly and were even nominated for an award from other teams for their attitude and kindness. Such a super achievement for this small, village school.

Well, done to all involved and thank you to everyone who sponsored the team making this adventure possible.

To read the full story and watch the day's events click here and scroll down to view Heads blog.

On Thursday of last week, a small group of children from Darite Primary went to RNAS Culdrose to take part in the second day of the regional tournament of the First Lego League. The team 'The Darite Virtual Pros' were up against a total of 60 other teams over the two-day tournament, which also included secondary schools! The children were judged on their attitude, professionalism, teamwork and graciousness towards each other and the other teams. No-one was able to top their score and, for the second year in a row, Darite Primary were awarded the trophy for the Robot Performance! 

To the children's delight, they were also awarded the Champion's Award for the highest overall score for the day. Winning the Regionals has earned 'The Darite Virtual Pros' a place to compete at the National Finals in Harrogate, against all the other regional winners from across the whole of the UK in the summer term. We are extremely proud of their achievement and look forward to seeing how they get on. Good Luck!   Click here to read more about their innovation project and robot coding game.  

Bridge Schools is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Chris Wathern who will be joining the Trust from Easter as Headteacher at Wadebridge Primary Academy. Chris is an experienced Head with a strong track record of leadership.  He has successfully led schools in the UK and abroad bringing a wealth of experience with him. 

Thank you to Mrs Lee-Elkins for the role she has played recently as Acting Head.  We have a strong team of staff at Wadebridge Primary and are really looking forward to the next chapter in supporting Mr Wathern lead the school.

Bridge Schools is celebrating its tenth anniversary

The multi-academy trust has grown significantly over the last decade one successful Ofsted has led to another, and more schools have joined. There are now 14 primaries across the county, ranging from Trenode, a small church school in the south-east of Cornwall, across to large primaries such as Wadebridge on the north coast and Brunel in Saltash.

The trust has attracted attention for its success in supporting schools to improve and the many positive Ofsted grades have reflected this over the years. Brunel moved from an Ofsted grade of Inadequate to Good with Outstanding and it was noted that with the support of the trust, school leaders and staff worked hard to transform the quality of education; whilst at Wadebridge Primary Academy, Ofsted commented on the fact that, Trust leaders know the school well. They check that senior leaders actions make the necessary impact on the education that pupils receive. Staff say that the support of the trust positively impacts their well-being and workload. In 2023, Blisland Primary Academy also received a glowing report and Ofsted inspectors pointed out that; The trust and the school, work together effectively to realise their ambition for pupils. They have utilised collaborative opportunities with other trust schools to develop the effectiveness of provision. 

Bridge Schools have also spent the past ten years building collaborative ways of working across the trust, developing a shared set of values and a creative approach that has been recognised and admired in its wider projects both in Cornwall and regionally. Some of these have included arts performances with all our schools and parents at Carnglaze Caverns and digital animations created by the children, then screened online with children and staff from all 14 schools. Trust wide poetry projects have also taken children's work as far as the Wilfred Owen Museum in France, where international links formed have resulted in a project planned for summer 2024 that will see children's work written about World War 1, scattered on biodegradable paper containing wildflower seeds over The Somme. Environmental projects on a large scale have also led to a partnership with Eden - where Bridge Schools pupils became the first children to become Eden Ambassadors and teach other children around the world how to care for and write about the planet.

Adrian Massey, Chief Executive said: I am privileged to lead an incredibly talented set of staff with supportive trustees and governors who work hard to give the very best education we can to support all our children and families.

We hope to welcome more schools soon to develop more ideas and expertise. We are a determined community of schools and teams; we know the power of working together. Through individual spirit and a sharing culture, we aim to put children's learning first.

Bridge Schools continues to go from strength to strength a testament to their motto that they are stronger together.

We are almost at the end of a very busy first half term. The children have settled well into their new classes and the determination they have displayed in the first few weeks, from our little learners through to year 6 has already yielded positive steps.

Thank you for helping us with improved attendance of the children. It might seem counterproductive but please only keep the children at home for more serious illnesses or D&V. Sniffles and mild cough, the children need to attend school to build back resilience as we continue to work through gaps in learning.

This Friday sees another whole Trust INSET day where our staff get the opportunity to share their knowledge and skills with each other to continue to deliver a comprehensive suite of creative approaches to develop and advance the children’s learning in both core and wider curriculum subjects. We look forward to welcoming the children back to school on Monday 30th October after their well-deserved half term autumn break.

Thank you for your continued support.

Adrian Massey - Chief Executive

It was a busy summer for the Bridge Schools premises team and contractors to work through maintenance schedules in the school buildings, upgrading facilities across school sites.  These improvements will certainly make a difference in all our schools for both children and staff.

There has been recent media coverage regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and its use in educational settings. The Department for Education (DfE) has recently changed its guidance to education settings on the management of RAAC to take a more precautionary approach. Bridge Schools sites are not affected by this decision as there is no RAAC in any of our buildings and therefore they will continue to function as normal.

It has been so good to see all the children returning this September in their smart uniforms, catching up with friends and looking forward to sharing their learning experiences in their new classrooms. We also welcome our new children that are just starting out whether that be in nursery, reception or have moved to the area during the summer holidays.

Staff are excited to share new learning opportunities with the children as the new term gets underway.

Wadebridge Primary Academy continues to be a good school, with an ambitious curriculum designed by leaders where “learning captures pupils’ interest, starting in early years”, according to a new report by Ofsted following a visit to the school in April.

The report highlights a number of positive characteristics in terms of the achievement of pupils, quality of teaching, behaviour, safety and leadership and management.   

 Inspectors who visited Wadebridge Primary Academy were really positive about the friendly atmosphere of the school and how supportive everyone was of each other. Rebecca Whitlock – Headteacher was very pleased that the hard work of her pupils and staff had been recognised by Ofsted as the school continues to work hard to ensure each child reaches their full learning potential.

As Chief Executive of Bridge Schools I am extremely proud of Wadebridge Primary Academy and the achievements of everyone working and learning there. This Ofsted report recognises the hard work and dedication of staff and children alike as well as how we work as a Trust to support each other and share best practice. We will continue to work together to build on this success in the future.

Nine of our schools have been taking part in an exciting multi-school, creative project with Bodmin Airfield and internationally renowned poet, Sally Crabtree. Blisland and Lanlivery got to visit the airfield, where the children enjoyed a tour with the pilots and the opportunity to learn about the operational aspects, sit in the planes and deepen learning from different aspects of their curriculums. Some classes met with a Spitfire pilot and learnt more about WW2 transport, while other schools learnt about the history of flight and had the chance to interview Polly Vacher MBE, who has flown solo around the world.

A number of schools have been busy creating digital learning resources that are being shared across the Trust – enabling children to show off their learning and in turn, teach one another about various aspects of aviation, whilst being inspired in their writing.

Poetry from nine schools formed part of a ‘parcel of poems’ that was handed over to French pilot, Iza; who flew the work back to France to share with schools there, where international links between Bridge Schools and France will continue into the autumn term. As Sally Crabtree said, she is delighted that the project is letting the children’s imagination, knowledge and collaborative creativity ‘take flight’!

Groups of children from across our 14 schools took part in a Whole Trust Values Day event on Friday 24th March at Gunnislake Primary. Children worked together happily mixing with children from other schools within the Trust, understanding they are part of something much bigger, as they made their way around the exciting activities. The whole day was an extraordinary opportunity to see the trust values in action. Fabulously rich sessions showcasing much talented work.

We hope you enjoy our Bridge Schools Trust Advent Calendar chocked full of Christmas performances and messages from each of our Schools and Central Teams. 

Click the picture or this link to view the calendar. 

 We hope you enjoy the lovely work the children have done. 

 Best wishes, Adrian Massey - Chief Executive 

 VIEWING NOTES: The Advent calendar is optimally viewed in full screen on a high resolution monitor (desktop or laptop) and by expanding any video to full window size by using the 'in window' controls, where you can also adjust the sound. If you don't see the view to the left (or similar - each box will only be revealed as each day arrives) then use your browser menu under 'View' to 'Zoom-Out'. Use the 'Back' box in the bottom right corner to navigate back to the main screen when you have clicked in to view each days content. The Advent will work on a mobile device but you may experience a slightly different view. If you spot any bugs please email John Wareham. 

Watching the children from all of the schools take part and perform on the stage at Carnglaze Caverns today was just amazing. It was a reminder of why we do our jobs – to see children’s beaming faces as they surprise themselves with the quality of their performance thanks to the input and time from staff.

Laura Yeo – teacher at Looe Primary and Trust Music Lead had the initial idea of bringing everyone together for a whole trust music event. That was back in September when it all seemed so far away in the calendar. And then today came.

Carnglaze were fantastically accommodating in helping to make the logistics work for us – we had some fun with the parking but got there. 

The children were fantastic – they always are - but that is down to the time and thought staff put in to thinking through an idea with them and then rehearsing to help them look so good on stage. And my goodness they did. We had all sorts of different ideas for the audiences to enjoy. Nick Hart (Musician and trustee), Sean Hewitt (Professional Artist and well known to many of our schools) and Jenna Brewer (Professional Dancer training in London) were our judges for the day. A dubious honour to be awarded as you never please everyone! However. In the morning 1st place went to Lanlivery, 2nd to Brunel and 3rd to Polperro. In the afternoon 1st went to Trenode; 2nd to St Cleer and 3rd to Duloe. The overall winner for the day was Lanlivery for their singing ability, costumes, movement and cohesion in working together. Really well done to them and everyone who took part – it was a pleasure to be there today and see the children perform so well.

Everyone works hard to make every day a special day, thank you. Events like this showcase the capacity of the trust working together. A group of 14 schools, sharing ideas to realise the very best we can for all our children. Thank you to all the parents who came to watch the children, I hope you enjoyed the performances.

Best wishes,
Adrian Massey - Chief Executive

We were delighted to welcome, for the second time, Nerys and the Royal Institution's Science roadshow to Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy. The 'We Have The Power' morning show investigated the different ways in which electricity can be made and looked at the impact of fossil fuels on climate change. The show created lots of excitement, explosions, bangs and flashes. We also discovered how the first battery was made using copper, zinc and …frog juice!

In the afternoon, children from across the Bridge Schools Trust joined us to learn how to be rocket scientists. This was full of surprises, demonstrating the magic of science, which thrilled and enthralled us all. The purpose of the roadshow is to raise the profile of science, ignite interest and possibly even motivate pupils to pursue a career in science or engineering.

If you are interested, the Royal Institution have a dedicated You Tube channel demonstrating all the fun experiments that you can easily do at home using everyday objects and substances. For example: how to make bouncing eggs, rubber band cannons and soap powered boats. Search Ri Experimental and let us know how you get on!

Brunel Primary and Nursery Academy has received a glowing Ofsted report, following a visit in June, with judgements of ‘Good’ in all areas, and judgements of ‘Outstanding’ in Early Years Provision and Personal Development.

It has been a long journey for Brunel with reinspection delayed due to COVID.

Thank you to so many staff, parents, carers and governors for their support and showing faith in the quality of Brunel’s provision. Everyone in Bridge Schools is delighted that the hard work of staff at Brunel has been recognised in this inspection. The care and attention that all staff put into the children at Brunel goes above and beyond.

We also had another great year of results, with children making extraordinarily good progress, particularly our highfliers! Great news for the staff and the wider trust in Bridge Schools.

If you would like to view the full report, please view here.