Headteacher
Chris Coyle-Chislett
Email the Office
secretary@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk
Telephone Number
01736 753472
Our Address
2 St George’s Road, Hayle,
Cornwall, TR27 4AH
Year 1 had a sandy, scientific adventure this week as the whole class set out to discover the perfect mixture for building sandcastles. Using just a cup and their hands, the children tested different amounts of water to see how the sand changed—from crumbly and dry to squishy and soggy.
There were gasps, giggles, and plenty of sandy fingers as the pupils explored which mixture held its shape best. They observed, compared, and talked about what happened at each step, learning while having lots of fun.
Once the final “just-right” mixture was found, the excitement grew just look at their smiles!
Everyone had a chance to pack the sand into their cup and tip it out to create their very own sandcastle. Soon the tray was filled with sturdy little towers proudly made by the whole class.
It was a hands-on, sandtastic lesson full of fun, teamwork, and lots of talk centred around predictions — and Year 1 can’t wait for their next science investigation!
Year 1 had a very special visitor—none other than the famous 17th-century diarist, Samuel Pepys!
The day began with the children taking on the role of town criers, ringing bells and calling out news to the “citizens” of Year 1, experiencing the thrill of delivering announcements the old-fashioned way.
The children were enamoured by Samuel Pepys and listened carefully to everything he revealed, with some impressing him with their own knowledge of what they already knew!
Next, both classes worked in their own classrooms on activities set by Samuel Pepys himself. This included making their own diaries of key events from Pepys’ past, collecting different stickers at stations, and using VIPERS skills to extract information from different sources.
They even tried writing with quills, carefully practicing their letters and imagining they were journaling their own London adventures alongside Pepys. The children also built their own timelines of the Great Fire of London, acting out key moments and even playing a game to see if the fire would spread before they “won,” giving everyone a hands-on understanding of how quickly events could unfold in historic London.
The excitement continued as Pepys quizzed the children: “What unusual pet did I have that could belong in a zoo?” Every child had a chance to guess, and amazingly one child even gave the correct answer! The victorious guesser was rewarded by digging for some cheese, just like Samuel had buried all those years ago. Do you know what the animal was?
They also used magnifying glasses to study a picture of London from a long, long time ago, spotting details they might have missed with the naked eye.
From start to finish, it felt as if history had stepped off the pages and into the classroom. While Samuel Pepys returned to the 17th century, Year 1 will remember this unforgettable journey back in time for weeks to come.
This week, our school and wider community came together to mark Remembrance Day, honouring those who served in wars past and present. In the days leading up to November 11th, our Year 6 pupils took part in a range of special activities across different subjects to help us understand and reflect on the importance of remembrance.
In English, children learned the famous World War I poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. They discussed the poem’s meaning, imagery and the emotions it evokes. Pupils were inspired to write their own thoughtful poems about the brave souls who sacrificed their lives in WWI.
Meanwhile, in Art, pupils created striking pictures of poppy fields, soldiers, and scenes from wartime, showing great care and creativity.
In Design and Technology, children designed and sewed their own red poppies, carefully stitching the petals and leaves to create beautiful symbols of remembrance.
On Remembrance Day itself, the whole year group walked together to the Hayle War Memorial. We joined members of the local community to take part in a two-minute silence at 11 o’clock. It was a moving and respectful moment as we stood quietly, remembering those who gave their lives for our freedom.
Our Remembrance Day activities helped everyone to think deeply about history, sacrifice, and gratitude — and to understand why it is so important to remember.
Last year, some staff and key stage two pupils here at Penpol School got together over a series of singing assemblies to write a song that sums up what it is like to go to Penpol School. The children gave lots of ideas about what they enjoy and like about school and worked hard to incorporate these ideas into the song. Our song ‘The Best That I Can Be’ was then recorded in a singing assembly and entered into the national School Song Competition.
Amazingly our song fought off stiff competition of 350 entries and we were invited to The competition final just held just outside of London.
The song is a credit to the children and staff and really encompasses what it is like to be a student at Penpol School. You can listen to the song on all major streaming platforms.
