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Headteacher
Chris Coyle-Chislett

Email the Office
secretary@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk

Telephone Number
01736 753472

Follow us on Twitter
@PenpolSchool

Our Address
2 St George’s Road, Hayle,
Cornwall, TR27 4AH

“Penpol pupils are curious, creative and courageous learners. Our school community believes in authenticity as the foundations of deep-rooted learning. Through our rich and relevant curriculum, we nurture community-minded, forward-facing international citizens of the future.”

Year 4’s Term of Magic Extends to St Michael’s Mount!

On Tuesday 27th February, Class 9 and 10 took a memorable and magical trip to St Michael’s Mount. This visit ties in closely with our current topic of Harry Potter and, in particular, focusing this week on describing the imperious Hogwarts castle. The Mount certainly has that magical quality to it and offered the perfect stimulus to encourage the children to describe a castle setting description, using similes and metaphors.

                                                                            
The excitement was palpable preceding the exciting walk over the iconic causeway, which links the mainland to St Michael’s Mount. Students were in their element, taking in the stunning Penwith coastline to the West and the imposing castle above which perched high upon the Mount ahead.

   
We were greeted at the harbour by Kerry Rice, the Education Officer for St Aubyn Estate, who led us on a magical journey through time as we explored the historic beauty of St Michael’s Mount. Upon arriving, the students were given a brief outline of the planned activities they would be taking part in, followed by a quick recap on why we had come to the Mount in the first place…to inspire our own Hogwart’s setting description.


Each group excelled and came up with high-quality and powerful adjectives, using them to create impressive similes and metaphors on their silhouette outline drawing of the Mount.

The children are also gearing up for World Book Day  next week, where they will be studying a range of Cornish Giant folk tales in English and Guided Reading. One of the children’s favourite activities was storyboarding the Cornish folk tale, the Legend of Cormoran the Giant , where Kerry captivated the children’s imaginations with her retelling of the tyrannical giant who once lived on the mount and how he was defeated by a local boy called Jack.

“I’ve actually visited the ground where Jack’s heart is buried deep beneath in the ground last time I came here!” one pupil was keen to share.

Kerry then led a wonderful drama activity in which they acted out the story of Cormoran the Giant – complete with an authentic blast of a horn from Kerry!

There was plenty of time to explore the village nestled below the castle, where students competed to find answers to the harbour challenge quiz sheet. Students were amazed to learn that the island lays host to 30 full time residents, who stay on the island and work there each day; be that as a gardener of the castle gardens, or working in the boatyard and maintaining all of the essential equipment.

 

All of the students demonstrated an excellent knowledge by the end of the trip of the history of the Mount and are now looking forward to writing up their setting descriptions of Hogwarts castle using similes and metaphors over the next few days.

It’s fair to say the children are all eager to return to the Mount and see what else the island has to offer!

             


Roman Invasion in Year 4!

Year 4 have been learning about the Romans this year and held a special day to celebrate. Everyone dressed up in their finest Roman attire, including the Year 4 teachers!

To begin with, the Year group were greeted by Marcus Quintonius, a high ranking legionnaire, who gave the children an insight into Roman army life. Focussing on the Roman invasion of Britannia, students learned about the different equipment, roads and forts used by the Romans which made them such an impressive force.

Next, both classes were thrown into the melee and had to use their best codebreaking skills in order to crack a hidden location written by the emperor himself, Julius Caesar. The hidden message revealed one of Rome’s greatest engineering feats in the Roman empire – Hadrian’s Wall.

As well as playing classic army card games, such as Roman Rummy, both classes got to experience what it was like to march like a Roman. Led by Roman Legionary Marcus’ booming commands, Classes’ 9 and 10 both marched up and down the playground, to embed their understanding of Roman commands. Next, the students practised forming the defence shape, which is the ‘testudo’, or the tortoise. This proved an effective barrier against incoming missiles aimed by the teachers.

It cannot be overstated the time and preparation which went into the costumes and shields, as well as the facepaint and hairstyles. The students looked sublime and the Roman visitor was impressed by how well Year 4 embraced the day!

Penpol Celebrates Languages Day 2023!

On Wednesday 4th October, Penpol School celebrated European Day of Languages for its 6th time. We are so fortunate to have so many languages being spoken as either a first or second language by our students.  For this reason, European Day of Languages is a prime opportunity to shine a light on each of these languages which represents our diverse learning community here at Penpol.

Back by popular demand, the French café was a favourite amongst students and staff. Like last year, KS2 students were invited to sample a French breakfast in Class 9 with Mr Emery and his year 4 group. Each class enjoyed singing in French and were then able to order from KS2 students, learning the basics such as ‘Bonjour’, ‘s’il vous plaît’ and ‘merci.’ KS2 students then put their French linguistic skills to the test to then host their KS1 reading buddies in their classroom.

Finally, at the end of the day, Mrs Curnow and Mrs Best had KS1 enthralled with a reading of ‘Goolan’ to celebrate the Cornish language.  In addition, Mrs Best and Mr Jones serenaded the children with songs featuring Welsh, Cornish and French.  Mr Jones and Mr Emery led a European singalong in KS2, which culminated in a school record of 8 languages being sung in one song. This rounded off a fantastic day which marked an important day in the school calendar.

A huge ‘Meur ras’, ‘diolch yn fawr,’ ‘merci,’ ‘gracias,’ ‘dzien dobry,’ aciu’ and ‘obrigado’ to all of those who helped to make the day a huge success.  

Year 4 Go to Hogwarts!

To celebrate all of the fantastic learning which has been going on, Year 4 celebrated a Harry Potter ‘dress up’ day this Wednesday 22nd February.  The school was awash with the four colours of each of Hogwart’s Houses: Gryffinfor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff & Ravenclaw.

This term, Year 4 have been immersed into the world of Harry Potter, reading Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone.  They have absolutely loved their Guided Reading sessions on this book and have really excelled at retrieving key information to help explain their understanding of the book.

In PE, all students have been learning the many complex rules of Quidditch thanks to our Mr Stanlake, our PE coordinator, training up our young Witches and Wizards in their first ever session. Since then, the students have relished the many challenges of this magical sport and have absolutely loved playing it!  From chasing the Quaffle, dodging bludgers and seeking the snitch, there has been plenty for all to get excited about- check out the action shots below!

In English, they have described Hogwarts using adventurous adjectives, similes and metaphors to really showcase the magic that conjures up Hogwarts castle.  In addition, they have also experienced a Potions lesson with Professor Emery and Professor Peck.  This involved concocting a potion, deciding upon its magical value and then advertising their potion to the masses.

The students were incredible and bowled us over with their enthusiasm and flair for writing this term.  Their persuasive posters and adverts were of spell-binding quality.  Check out the pictures of the students and teachers having an incredible time below!

 

Celebrating the European Day of Languages at Penpol

Wednesday 5th October marked a special day where Penpol celebrated European Day of Languages.  To mark the occasion at Penpol, children came to school dressed in the colours of their favourite flag and were excited to share their knowledge of languages from all over the world.  From Polish to French, Lithuanian to Portuguese, it was especially important to give all languages the recognition they duly deserve.

In the morning, KS2 students were invited to sample a French breakfast in Class 9 with Mr Emery and his year 4 group. Each class enjoyed singing in French and were then able to order from KS2 students, learning the basics such as ‘Bonjour’, ‘s’il vous plaît’ and ‘merci.’

Following this, each KS2 class demonstrated their knowledge of French by serving their KS1 reading buddies pastries and teaching their younger peers how to order in French, which generated huge waves of excitement in each year group. In addition, Atene, Emilija and Hana all taught key phrases in Lithuanian and Polish and were fantastic language ambassadors throughout the day. 

Finally, at the end of the day, Mr Jones and Mr Emery led a European singalong which culminated in a whopping 7 languages being sung in one song, all of which have been heard in the corridors at Penpol from our own multicultural students.  This rounded off a fantastic day which marked an important day in the school calendar. 

“Today has been the best day ever!” Isla, Class 9

A huge thank you to everyone who made the day such a great success! Check out the photos from the day, showcasing the multitude of colours and students and staff speaking in different languages.

Year 4 enrol at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry for the Day!

This half term, Year 4 have been immersed into the world of Harry Potter, reading Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone.  In English, they have described Hogwarts using adventurous adjectives, similes and metaphors to really showcase the magic that conjures up Hogwarts castle.  In addition, they have also experienced a Potions lesson with Professor Pearson, Professor Peckunia, Professor Emerald, Professor Cross de Morte and Professor Antonia.  This involved concocting a potion, deciding upon its magical value and then advertising their potion to the masses.

To celebrate all of the fantastic learning which has been going on, Year 4 then celebrated a Harry Potter ‘dress up’ day!  The school was awash with the four colours of each of Hogwart’s Houses: Gryffinfor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff & Ravenclaw.

 

The students were incredible and bowled us over with their enthusiasm and flair for writing this term.  Their persuasive posters and adverts were of spell-binding quality.  Check out the pictures and videos of the students and teachers having an incredible time below!

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Riotous Romans Invade Penpol!

Today, Year 4 got a true taste of Roman army life, with Marcus Quintonius, a high ranking legionnaire, visiting Penpol Year 4 children for the day.  Focussing on the Roman invasion of Britannia, students came into school armed with shields, swords and Roman legion attire, ready to join forces with the impressive Roman army.

 

To begin with, the Year group were greeted with Roman army commands: Consiste! (Halt!), Laxate (at ease), silentiurm! (Silence!) and Sin/ Dex (Left/ Right!), which would come in hand later on in the day.

 

Next, both classes were thrown into the melee and had to use their best codebreaking skills in order to crack a hidden location written by the emperor himself, Julius Caesar.  The hidden message revealed one of Rome’s greatest engineering feats in the Roman empire – Hadrian’s Wall.

 

“I loved using my knowledge of Roman numerals to crack the code.”  Joseph, Class 9

Next up, both classes got to play some classic Roman games, such as Rummy and Hadrian’s Wall card game.  The atmosphere in both classes was as if you had walked into a Roman army barracks in the evening!

The grand finale, however, had to be experiencing what it was like to march like a Roman.  Led by Roman Legionary Marcus’ booming commands, Classes’ 9 and 10 both marched up and down the playground, to embed their understanding of Roman commands.  Next, the students practised forming the defence shape, which is the ‘testudo’, or the tortoise.  This proved an effective barrier against incoming missiles aimed by the teachers.

All in all, the children had an excellent day immersing themselves in the Roman life and learning first hand how the Roman army worked.

 

Savvy Dance Experience for Year 4

Classes 9 and 10 had the privilege of a free Savvy Dance session at the wonderful Savvy Dance Studios in Foundry Square.  Each Class got to experience a session of Commercial dancing , which incorporated a bouncy and poppy dance routine.  Claire was fantastic at getting all sorts of contortions and body shapes from the students!

 

Upstairs, Charlotte led an upbeat yoga-style dance routine, which had the children showing off their flexibility and capacity to travel across the dance floor.

 

The afternoon was amazingly fun! Jay, Class 9

This was a brilliant opportunity for the children to draw upon the expert tutoring from Savvy Dance Studios and the students were incredibly grateful for this wonderful opportunity.  Thank you Savvy!!

 

Penpol Celebrates European Day of Languages 2021

This week, the whole school celebrated European Day of Languages. With a wealth of languages being spoken along the corridors of our school, from Polish to French, Lithuanian to Portuguese, it was especially important to give all languages the recognition they duly deserve.

Students and staff were invited to dress up in the colours of their favourite country and rose to the call in spectacular fashion; by 9am, the whole school was awash with all the colours of the rainbow!

In the morning, KS1 students were invited to sample a French breakfast in the yurt with Mr Emery and six KS2 volunteers. Each class enjoyed singing in French and were then able to order from KS2 students, learning the basics such as ‘Bonjour’, ‘s’il vous plaît’ and ‘merci.’

“Miam miam!” Phrase of the day, which translates as ‘yummy’ in French


KS2 students showed off their already fantastic French skills by competing as a whole class on LanguageNut Live, where each student puts their knowledge of their current French topic to the test in real time against their peers. A huge well done to Reuben and Merryn from Year 3 who came top in their year group on animals and colours in French – Bravo!!

All classes in KS2 also competed in the European Day of Languages shirt competition.
This had all students creating a design to best represent European Day of Languages. If proven successful, they will have it printed on the official European Day of Languages T shirt next year and receive 30 T-shirts for them and their class. I have already received some extremely creative designs so far – keep them coming!

Finally, Mr Emery led each of the assemblies to round off a fun European Day of Languages. From the video of students and staff speaking a multitude of different languages, to singing one of the classic “Tu as un animal” (do you have any pets) song, the assembly encouraged students to be adventurous and have a go at speaking in another language. Whether that’s greeting Diane the dinner lady with a ‘Czesc’ (hello), asking how Mrs Bailie is – ‘como você está’ (how are you?) in Portuguese, or asking for a strawberry ice cream on holiday in France(une glace à la fraise s’il vous plaît). Using a language is fun and the students and staff of Penpol proved that again today.

“Today has been the best day ever!” Louis, Class 12


A huge thank you to everyone who made the day such a great success! Check out the photos from the day, as well as the video of students and staff speaking in different languages.