Careers

Best Selling Author Drops into Year 3

14th March 2025 by Jess Riches

Year 3 had an amazing time meeting Vashti Hardy, author of our whole class text Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest! She shared how everyday life and things we love can inspire stories, sparking excitement among the children.

During a creative workshop, Vashti guided them in designing maps of imaginary worlds to inspire their own stories. Their creativity shone as they sketched forests, rivers, castles, and futuristic cities!

The children also asked Vashti questions about her books and writing process. By the end, they were eager to read more of her work and start their own storytelling adventures.

A huge thank you to Vashti Hardy for such an inspiring visit!

Creativity in Full Bloom with Author and Illustrator Maia Walczak!

6th March 20256th March 2025 by Rebecca Best

On Tuesday 4th March, we were absolutely thrilled to welcome the incredibly talented Maia Walczak, an award-winning children’s book illustrator, author and artist from Cornwall. Every child at Penpol had the fantastic opportunity to take part in a workshop that truly sparked their creative writing.

Before Maia’s visit, each class explored Maia’s work and created their own vibrant portraits in her distinctive style! Maia was absolutely blown away by the children’s’ incredible creativity and effort!

Maia captivated the children as she shared the fascinating journey behind her books. She revealed what inspired her to write her stories, walked through the planning process and showed them the beautiful final products of her hard work. Her visit not only brought her books to life but also perfectly complemented the writing process we teach here at Penpol. The children were inspired and their imaginations soared as they took part in a fun and engaging hands-on activity.

We were so inspired by Maia’s books that we’ve created a wordless book section in our school library to celebrate her work! A big thank you to Maia for sharing her incredible talent with us – it was truly an unforgettable experience.

Click here to see Maia’s website if you would like to have a look at her books.

Lights, Camera, Action for Class 14

17th February 202517th February 2025 by Nic Stanlake

A few weeks ago, some of our pupils visited LightBox Film Company, a local business in Hayle, to provide voice-over work for an Active Cornwall film. This week, it was time to return the favour!

James from LightBox visited Penpol to film the children as part of a new project about geological resources in the region. The pupils not only learned about the exciting developments happening locally but also explored the wide range of careers available within the sector, including marketing, engineering, and, of course, geology!

Once they had played their part as actors, some pupils had the opportunity to step behind the camera. James was fantastic at working with them, taking the time to explain not only how his equipment works but also the wider film industry.

Keep your eyes peeled for our future stars of the screen—I will share the video once it’s completed!

Below is a link to a Cornish film featuring some of our talented pupils.

Year 6 undertake mini-police training

15th January 202515th October 2024 by Nic Stanlake

As part of our PSHE curriculum, Year 6 had the privilege of welcoming Devon and Cornwall Police into their classrooms for an engaging and educational experience. The officers shared insights about their roles within the community, the importance of staying safe online, and the impact of antisocial behavior.

With a careers focus, Phil—a respected officer—captivated the pupils with his personal journey, starting as a 10-year-old with dreams of joining the police force to now having a varied and rewarding career. His story inspired many pupils to consider a future in law enforcement, now equipped with knowledge about the skills and qualifications needed for such a career.

Here’s what some of our Year 6 pupils had to say about the experience:

Ned

“I really liked the mini-police program. It was a valuable experience learning about antisocial behavior, vandalism, online safety, and the age ratings of games and apps. It’s important to tell a trusted adult if something makes you uncomfortable online. We also learned about road safety, like stopping, looking, and listening, as well as not using your phone while walking. I loved the experience!”

Isla

“During the last week, Year 6 was visited by an officer from Devon and Cornwall Police. At first, I didn’t know much about the police, but now I know so many jaw-dropping facts. We explored antisocial behavior—it was crazy to hear about the situations he’s been involved in! We also learned about online safety and road safety. It was so amazing to hear about the police from an actual officer!”

Theo

“When Phil came in, it inspired me to work harder in school, especially in maths and English, as he explained how important those skills are. I learned that to be a 999 response officer, you need to complete a minimum of two years before specializing in roles like traffic or armed response. Phil told me everything I need to know to become a police officer, and I am inspired to be one.”

A big thank you to Devon and Cornwall Police for providing such a valuable and inspiring experience for our pupils! 🚔✨

Year 6 explore STEAM subjects at Hayle Academy

15th January 202525th September 2024 by Nic Stanlake

Earlier this month, our Year 6 pupils enjoyed a short walk to Hayle Academy to take part in an exciting transition and taster day within the Science, Maths, and DT departments.

In the ‘Magical Maths’ session, the children tackled challenging puzzles that even left the adults scratching their heads! They worked diligently to solve Sudoku-style problems and explored how ancient civilizations used mathematics to create intricate shapes and patterns.

The theme of patterns continued in DT, where Class 14 had a hands-on challenge to construct geodesic domes using cocktail sticks and sweets. While some domes were more successful than others, a few sweet-related distractions may have played a part! If you’d like to try this activity at home, the brief sheet is attached below.

In the Science lab, Class 13 geared up in PPE and delved into an exciting experiment to test the pH levels of different liquids. Budding scientists in the making!

Hayle Schools team up for the 2024 Careers Fair!

15th January 202524th May 2024 by Tiffany Pope

This week we were joined by staff and students from Bodriggy Academy Hayle Academy for our annual Careers Fair. But what would a Careers Fair be without some careers?! Well, luckily we had over 40 different professions represented from across Cornwall, giving our students an incredible insight and inspiration into future job opportunities.

Check out this video to see more from this exciting event!

Local Beekeeper Creates a Buzz in Year 2!

7th December 202321st February 2023 by Michael Pearson

On Tuesday 21^st February, Year 2 were visited by Tamsin Harris, who has been a beekeeper since 1998 and currently keeps 109 hives in the local area. Tamsin has extensive knowledge and experience in the craft of beekeeping and also runs her own business, ‘Bee Special’, which produces a wide range of products from her hives, including beeswax candles, furniture polish, candle rolling kits, balms and salves.

Tamsin delivered an interactive workshop with the children, in which they learned about the different roles of bees within a colony. This involved the children dressing up as beekeepers, Queen bees, baby bees, worker bees, cleaner bees, guard bees and hive-fanning bees!

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The children then explored a virtual hive, layer by layer and frame by frame… The eagle-eyed were able to spot the infamous Queen bee amongst her workers!

To top off the day, pupils had the exciting opportunity to design and make their own honey flapjacks, using a selection of delicious local honeys.

Police Visit

7th December 202316th December 2022 by Amanda Aspden

The reception classes had a great time when Police Officer Mike visited us today.

He brought loads of equipment which we tried on and found out all about the different roles that the police do, including search and rescue, first aid and lots of different things to help us and keep us safe.

Police look after people -Cora

We got to see what is inside the police car and had a go with the lights and sirens.

If someone takes a bike the police take them to jail – Charlotte

I want to be a policeman when I grow up – Isaac

Class 1 and 2 would like to thank Mike for spending the time to share his exciting and interesting career with us.

An Inspiring Afternoon for Pupils at our Careers Fair

7th December 20235th May 2022 by Mark Pollard

On Wednesday the 6th of April, Penpol held its second careers fair after the first, which was held back in 2019.

This year, over 30 different job sectors came into school to talk about their job and potentially inspire the next generation. There were a huge range of jobs on show, from a doctor, a vet, the police and fire service, to potters, carpenters, jewellers and florists, with even the horticultural department at The Eden Project making an appearance.

There was a real buzz amongst the students and exhibitors alike and, even if it only inspired one child for a potential future career, that is a job well done. Research shows that young people who have a possible understanding of what they may want to do in the future are far less likely to fall out of education and not have a job in the future. There is a saying that ‘You cannot be what you cannot see’ and this event, with Penpol being the only primary school in the South-West to hold such a thing, will hopefully have opened a few eyes to future prospects.

A huge thank you to those who gave up their time to talk about their careers and if you might be interested in joining next year, please do get in touch with our Careers Lead, Mr Pollard by emailing him at mpollard@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk

Celebrating our first Careers Fair

7th December 202321st November 2019 by Mark Pollard

On Wednesday the 6th of November, Penpol held our first ever Careers event. 30 different businesses and employees gave up their time to explain just what makes their job sector special, with hands-on demonstrations, interactive activities and a stream of answers ready for the children’s questions. The event was a huge success and we look forward to doing it again next year.

Special thanks must go to those people who gave up their time to inspire others. The exhibitors were very impressed with the children’s interest and described them as ‘eloquent, interested and a joy to talk to’.

We’re ‘buzzing’ about spelling in Year 5 and 6

“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.”