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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

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

Paws, Claws and Caring Hands: A Vet Nurse Visits Our Nursery!

This term, our Nursery children are learing all about animals, and this week they had a very special visit from Tamsin Richards, a local vet nurse.

She brought Mrs Neve and Mabel the dog with her and showed the children how to perform a basic check up. The nursery children watched closely as Tamsin checked Mabel’s heartbeat, eyes, nose and mouth. They were reminded that permission must be asked before petting any dogs in public – not all dogs are as friendly as Mabel!

 

The children listened carefully and learnt all about the different spaces in the vets surgery. They saw pictures of where Tamsin works, learnt about what all the different machines and equpiment were for and found out why dogs and cats are kept seperately!

Then the children were able to try out some of the equipment from the vets. They used a real stethoscope to find their heartbeats, had a go at bandaging each other up, tried on some of the protective gear and inspected some themometers.

There are definitely some future vet nurses in this nursery!

 

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Reading Everywhere: Our World Book Day Adventure!

Today we celebrated World Book Day by letting the children read anywhere they wanted in the classroom.

With books in hand, some chose to sit on top of tables, others hid under tables to create cosy reading spots, and a few even took over the teacher’s chair! It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying their stories in such fun and creative places.

A fantastic day celebrating the joy of reading!

From Hive to Flapjack: Year 2’s Bee-tastic Week!

Year 2 were buzzing with excitement on Tuesday, 6th January 2026, when they welcomed local beekeeper Tamsin Harris to school! Tamsin has been bee-keeping since 1998 and now cares for an incredible 109 hives in the local area – talk about a hive of activity!

With a honeycomb of knowledge to share, Tamsin told the children all about her business, ‘Bee Special’, which creates a wide range of products from her hives, including beeswax candles, furniture polish, candle-rolling kits, balms and salves. The children were also treated to a truly sweet experience when they had the chance to taste some of Tamsin’s delicious local honey.

The highlight of the visit was an interactive workshop where pupils learned all about the different roles inside a bee colony. The classroom was soon abuzz as children dressed up as beekeepers, Queen bees, baby bees, worker bees, cleaner bees, guard bees and even hive-fanning bees!

This exciting visit was the perfect way to immerse the children in their new topic, ‘Where Would We Bee Without Bees?’, helping them understand just how important these tiny creatures are to our world. To top it all off, the children ended the week by rolling up their sleeves and making their very own honey flapjack – a delicious way to celebrate their learning. It was a sweet and unforgettable experience that left everyone bee-lieving just how amazing bees really are.

Bright Lights in Year 2: Our Christingle Celebration

This week, Year 2 has been learning about a very special Christmas tradition – Christingle. As part of our lessons on Christian celebrations, we made our Christingle celebration a time to think about being thankful for what we have and hopeful for the future. We explored the meaning behind this beautiful tradition, which is celebrated by Christians around the world during Advent and Christmas.

The word Christingle comes from two words: “Christ,” who Christians believe is the light of the world, and “tingle,” which refers to the orange shape used in the celebration. We learned that the orange represents the world, while the candle placed on top is a symbol of Jesus being the light that shines in the darkness, giving people hope. The red ribbon wrapped around the orange stands for the love of Jesus, which reminds Christians to be thankful and caring towards others. Some Christians believe the sticks with sweets or fruit represent the gifts we give to others at Christmas, while others believe they represent God’s creation of the four seasons.

Learning about Christingle has helped us understand the Christian message of love, peace, thankfulness, and hope, and it was a special way for Year 2 to reflect during the holiday season and the beginning of a new year.

Towering Above the Rest with Their Cereal Box Castles!

Today, Year 2 had a very special design and technology session with their KS2 Learning Buddies. The children worked together to create amazing castles using cereal boxes, glue, scissors, masking tape and plenty of imagination!

The classroom buzzed with excitement as the children buddied up to share their ideas about turrets, battlements and drawbridges. Then, putting their ideas into action, cutting shapes, attaching pieces, and making sure their structures stood tall. Some groups even added flags, battlements, and secret doors.

Throughout the session, the children showed fantastic resilience, one of Penpol School’s core values. When towers toppled or glue didn’t stick, they didn’t give up—instead, they tried new methods, adapted their ideas, and kept going with smiles on their faces. They also demonstrated wonderful creativity, turning simple cereal boxes into colourful castles full of character and clever design features.

Everyone worked carefully and cooperatively, showing brilliant teamwork. The KS2 buddies supported the younger pupils with tricky parts while encouraging them to make their own choices. Year 2 pupils said they enjoyed having “big helpers” and learning new building skills. After saying duw genes/goodbye to their buddies, Year 2 continued their projects by carefully painting and decorating their castles to bring their designs to life.

Year 4 Step Back in Time on Roman Day

Year 4 have been diving into their Roman history topic this term and celebrated in style with an unforgettable Roman Day on Thursday 20th November 2025. The school was transformed as pupils and staff stepped back in time, donning fantastic Roman costumes and bringing history vividly to life.

The day began with a visit from Marcus Quintonius, a high-ranking Roman legionnaire, who welcomed the children and shared fascinating insights into life in the Roman army. With a focus on the Roman invasion of Britannia, pupils learned about the equipment, roads and forts used by the Romans and discovered what made them such a powerful and successful force.

Both classes were then challenged to put their thinking skills to the test during an exciting code-breaking activity. Working together, pupils deciphered a secret message said to be written by Emperor Julius Caesar himself. The hidden message revealed one of the Roman Empire’s greatest engineering achievements — Hadrian’s Wall.

The Roman theme continued with classic army card games, including Roman Rummy, before pupils experienced what it was like to march as part of a Roman legion. Led by Marcus’ booming commands, Classes 9 and 10 marched proudly across the playground, reinforcing their understanding of Roman orders and discipline. Pupils also practised forming the famous defensive formation known as the testudo (tortoise), which proved highly effective at protecting them from the teachers’ incoming “missiles”!

The effort put into costumes, shields, face paint and hairstyles was outstanding. The children looked magnificent and Marcus Quintonius was extremely impressed by how enthusiastically Year 4 embraced the day.

Roman Day was a memorable and enriching experience, bringing history to life and showcasing the pupils’ enthusiasm, teamwork and creativity. A fantastic day was had by all!

Penpol Remembers

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.

Penpol Compete at the National School Song Competition

 

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.

Year 2 Light Up History with Guy Fawkes in Forest School

This week, Year 2 had an unforgettable experience in Forest School when a very special visitor arrived—none other than Guy Fawkes himself! The children were captivated as he retold the story of the Gunpowder Plot, explaining why he and his co-conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

The session was full of excitement and curiosity. Pupils listened carefully, asking thoughtful questions about the events of 1605, and enjoyed hearing history brought to life in the forest. They learned not just the facts, but also about courage, consequences, and the importance of working together—just as the conspirators did, for better or worse!

To make the story even more memorable, Guy Fawkes lit the fire in the Forest School firepit, giving the children a dramatic demonstration of the Bonfire Night tradition. He also showed them a seal used on letters in his time, prompting pupils to compare artefacts from the past with things they use today.

The fun didn’t stop in the forest! Back in the classroom, Year 2 continued learning with a range of creative activities. They made timelines of the Gunpowder Plot to understand the sequence of events, played a thrilling game where they had to finish a Guy Fawkes picture before the barrel exploded, and even created sparkling firework artworks to celebrate Bonfire Night.

Teachers praised the pupils for their enthusiasm, imagination, and teamwork throughout the day. It was a fun, fiery, and memorable experience that truly brought history to life!

An Exciting Visit from Our Local Heroes: Ben and Ben, the Firefighter Men!

After a real-life emergency our two local Firefighter heroes re-arranged their visit to come to visit Year 1 on the last day before half-term.

On Wednesday, the Year 1 children at Penpol School had a very special visit from two real-life firefighters! The children were thrilled to meet these local heroes and learn all about what firefighters do to help keep everyone safe.

The children were amazed to discover how heavy the equipment is and how quickly firefighters have to put it on during an emergency. Everyone listened carefully as the Bens explained what to do if there’s ever a fire — Get out, stay out, and call 999!

Loud cheers filled the air as the children eagerly listened to the blaring siren. A sea of smiles spread across the playground as everyone gathered to explore the big red fire engine. Each child had the opportunity to climb aboard and experience what it’s like inside the cabin.

The firefighters then provided an informative demonstration, explaining some of the various tools and equipment used in their daily work. The children learnt about the importance of fire safety and the vital role firefighters play in keeping the community safe. They asked thoughtful questions, such as, “Where does the water come from?” Many questions were enthusiastically centred around ladders! Year 1 listened carefully to the answers, showing great curiosity and excitement throughout the visit.

They learnt so much about fire safety and had a fantastic time meeting their local heroes. A huge thank you to Firefighters Ben and Ben for visiting Penpol School and teaching us how we can stay safe.