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Chris Coyle-Chislett

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secretary@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk

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01736 753472

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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.”
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History

Year 5 Trip to Carn Euny and Penlee House and Museum

On Wednesday 13th November, Class 12 delved into the history of the Penwith area by visiting Penlee House and Museum and Carn Euny Stone Age settlement. In the morning, we participated in a Stone Age workshop, learning lots of information and taking on the role of historians and archeologists. As historians, we studied artefacts and handled replicas which helped us to understand more about the life of a Stone Age human. Inside the museum, we investigated artifacts that have been discovered in the Penwith area.

“I enjoyed the treasure hunt in the museum.” Noa

“It was great when we got to handle the replicas.” Noah

“Making the coin badge was really great, and I liked that I got to take it home.” Lucy

After lunch, we ventured down some narrow country lanes to the ancient site of Carn Euny village. After exploring the village and discussing how and why these people lived here, the children tackled a question that has been baffling archeologists and historians: What is a fogou (an underground, dry-stone structure found on Iron Age or Romano-British-defended settlement sites in Cornwall).

We Will Remember

On Monday our Year 6 pupils took break from writing their World War 1 poetry to pay their respects and mark the two-minute silence on Armistice day at the War Memorial in Hayle alongside other members of our community.

 

The children have been learning lots in class about the sacrifice many service personnel have made on behalf of their countries through their topic of ‘War and Peace’

This has included making poppy crosses to lay in the D-day inspired garden outside of the Passmore Edwards Institute opposite the memorial. They have also sewn their very own felt poppies whilst raising money for the Royal British Legion.

 

IT’S NOT SAFE FOR THEM IN THE CITY: Send them to the countryside!

85 years after thousands of children and young vulnerable adults were evacuated from cities across the country during WW2, our Year 6 children had a go themselves. To launch the start of our ‘Wartime and Peace’ topic the children (and adults) dressed themselves in period clothing and lived the life of an evacuee for the day.

 

After being met at the gates by 2 of the newest members of the Penpol Division of the British Forces and our very own Land Girls they waved a teary goodbye to their parents before heading off for the train station. They were then subjected to a roll call and squeezed into a cramped school classrooms; much like the evacuees of 1939 would have been when they departed the trains.

It was here the children had chance to act in character and meet their fellow evacuees, discussing the contents of their suitcases as well as their preferred destination. Those without identification tags were labeled and sent on their way. The children then had some time to look at and try different games that evacuees would have played in the 40’s. The children also took some time to research and better understand the process of ‘Operation Pied Piper” before writing some touching postcards home.

 

After a ration-free lunch the children got to grips with the struggles of rationing with some home cooking following a handed-down ration recipe to make some delicious scones.

At the close of the day the children were collected by their parents, their evacuation was much shorter than those during the war. Many parents came into class to sample some of their cooking but also sit and enjoy their child’s work from the day.

Conscription! Year 6 are heading to the front!

As we have in previous few years, Year 6 headed to Bodmin Keep to explore the Military Museum. Bodmin Keep is the historical home of the DCLI; the barracks for which many of our ancestors signed up in and trained at as members of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.

To help immerse ourselves in to the lives of young soldiers we took part in two workshops. One, where we were able to explore their replica trench where we discussed the dismal living conditions and even had a go at heading ‘over the top’ ourselves. During the second workshop, we had the opportunity to look at ‘Somme’ letters that were written by soldiers in 1914 from the muddy battlefields on France. Here we really felt the emotion connected with these letters and the sensitivity with which we were going to need to write our own. We then had the chance to write pen some ideas to take back to school with us for our very own letters.

During our guided tour we learnt all about how the keep was used to train and house recruits who later went onto fight in France and Belgium as part of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry before housing visiting G.I Joes in the lead up to the D-Day landings in 1944.

The building is rich with British Military history and a plethora of artefacts and replicas to explore and discuss including; Mary tins, a present from Princess Mary to serving soldiers in 1914; genuine WW1 clothing, helmets and boots; food stuffs from the time of WW1, including a VERY hard tac biscuit; and soldiers personal possessions, such as boot polish, button polishers and shaving kits. A new addition to the museum is a exhibit on the United Nations and the roll the British Forces play in peacetime; helping maintain the peace across the world and well as helping with natural disasters.

We had a truly awe-inspiring day where many of our current day to day difficulties were put into persecutive. We left feeling very grateful to live in the world in which we do and will be taking our first hand experience of the trench back to school with us and using it to help write our very own letters from the Somme.

Magic on the Mount

On Tuesday 26th September and Thursday 5th October 2023, Class 5 and 6 embarked upon magical and memorable trips to St Michael’s Mount as part of their Autumn Term topic, ‘Who’s the King of the Castle?’

Class 6 were originally due to visit the mount on Wednesday 27th September, but with a severe weather warning, a ‘Black Flag’ day was announced and the island was closed to all visitors; this was a first-hand lesson in the challenges that face a tidal island. However, we were lucky enough to reschedule for the following week, when the weather was better and the seas much calmer!

Storm Over St Michaels Mount Cornwall Painting by Jean Walker - Pixels

Pupils enjoyed a short walk through the historic village of Marazion before taking the 5-minute boat ride across the water to the island.

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.

 

On the short but steep hike up the Mount, we discovered the ‘Giant’s Well’, where Kerry captivated the children’s imaginations with the legend of Cormoran the Giant. We learned about the story of a tyrannical giant who once lived on the mount and how he was defeated by a local boy called Jack.

Further up the Pilgrim’s Steps, children discovered the Giant’s Heart within the cobbled path. Legend has it that if you place your toe on this magical stone, then you can feel Cormoran’s heart beat in your own chest!

“I can feel it! It’s got a different rhythm to my heart beat!” one pupil remarked.

Finally, we reached the castle at the top of the mount, where the stone fortifications, battlements and canons immediately brought this period of medieval history to life. Kerry taught us the chronology of the mount’s use through time, going back over 3000 years from early Bronze Age artefacts, to its use as a monastery, to the castle’s construction following the Norman Conquest of Britain.

As we explored the inside of the castle, children discovered an abundance of fascinating artefacts scattered throughout the castle’s intricate maze of rooms and buildings, including a mysteriously large leather jug and the entrance to a hidden chamber, where a 7-foot skeleton was once discovered!

After descending the steep and uneven path back down the mount, we had certainly earned a good lunch… followed by delicious ice creams! One final treat was in store, as Kerry treated 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!

By the afternoon, the tide has dropped out, revealing the beautiful cobblestone causeway that connects the island to the mainland. We walked back along the beach and enjoyed the minibus journey back to school, minds full of the history and magic of St Michael’s Mount.

Constructing Egyptian Pyramids in Minecraft

This half term we’ve been building Pyramids in Minecraft Edu in our Computing lessons.  Mr Woolcock and Paul have created a shared world where we were all able to work together and build pyramids for our Egyptian Pharaohs.  We researched what would be inside a pyramid and learnt about the traps and secret rooms designed to stop thieves and included these in our designs.  We even created secret chambers full of canopic jars, golden treasures and scrolls of knowledge for the mummies to take with them into the afterlife.

Welcome to our Pyramids!

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Here are some more photos of all of our pyramids, along with some extra information about each one.

Class 7

Xander, George and Maverick

This is a maze which is to trick the people that try and break in and take all the gold.  There are pressure plates on the floor and when you step on one they open up a trap door and you fall down!  At the centre of the maze there is lots of treasure which was buried with the god Osiris.

Sorrel, luna and noah

Our pyramid is for Thoth.  We made a patten in the wall which was meant to be a hieroglyphic.  We’ve added lots of gold and treasures inside our pyramid along with a red carpet which feels very royal.  We put some chests in there too with lots of important things in them like precious gems and golden objects.

Koby, Lili, Daisy, Xanthe, Lowenna and Frankie

We’ve built secret tunnels under the pyramid so if people try to get in they’ll come straight out the other side!  There are some other traps too that are supposed to catch people trying to break in.

Lexi, Alice and Alice

We put two chambers into our pyramid one is full of treasures and is where the sarcophagus is placed.  The pharaoh would have been buried with all of their treasure.  There are secret tunnels to get into the chambers to stop anyone naughty coming in.  It’s designed to be really scary in the tunnels!

Bobby, Daisy and Casey

This is where the mummy would be placed in the pyramid.  We have put gold inside for him so he can take it with him to the afterlife.  We put torches inside so it’s not completely dark and so he can see the gold in the afterlife.

Fred, Poppy, Charlie and Darcey

We’ve got a staircase inside the pyramid which takes you up to a large maze where people might think the treasure chests are hidden, but it’s a trap!  They’re actually hidden under the pyramid.  This traps thieves inside the pyramid.  We’re really proud of the fact it has two levels and the fact we’ve added ancient books to give the pharaoh lots of knowledge in the afterlife.

Edwin, Logan and Arthur

It was designed so explorers who come in through the entrance will fall into a trap.  There’s an empty chest filled with really rubbish items which will trap the robbers into a chamber.  We’ve made it really confusing so nobody can get into steal the mummy or the treasure!  It’s full of traps and surprises!

Class 8

Grace, Izzy, Merryn and amelia

This is a hidden part of our pyramid where there’s lots of gold and things inside.  There are false lights in a fake corridor to distract people trying to break in!  The gold is hidden in a secret place behind a trap.

Rory, Darcey, Noah and Charlie

We made an upstairs in the pyramid, but didn’t quite finish it off yet.  But there’s also a dungeon room below the main room where there are spider webs, creepy things and stuff like that.  Our pharaoh was the god of the underworld so we made his dungeon look like the underworld.

Massimo and Jack

We really enjoyed making the pyramid!  We thought “what would an ancient Egyptian think about when the pyramids was created?”  We thought the answer would be glory, cool secret stuff and valuable treasure.  On the top of our building there’s loads of gold and I made the Egyptian symbol of life out of gold!  We also really enjoyed making the secret entrances behind the hieroglyphics.

Maddison, Nevaeh and Lucy

I liked creating the portals for each Egyptian God because I could figure out blocks would best show off the different gods.  We also really liked making the secret rooms which were so important in the pyramids to store things safely for the afterlife. 

Zak, Pearl, Isaiah and Ethan

The trap in our pyramid has a little hole in the middle of it, so if anyone is silly enough to walk in the middle they’ll fall through!  Our little room is really important because you can only fit really special things inside it.  There is a secret treasure chest hiding under our bridge!

Sam and Logan

When you first go in through the passageway there’s a real sense of Ra’s power.  We used glowstone to represent the sun.  I liked the front of our pyramid a lot because it’s so three dimensional and it looks absolutely massive – but still smaller than a real pyramid!

Noah, Dexter, Bailey and Koen

The room in the back corner is a secret space where we’ve hidden some gold treasure.  Another room has other important things in it like a backdoor, a desk and lots of ancient Egyptian scrolls.  We’ve also added some exploding traps to stop anyone coming in!

Evie, Freya, Alayah and Everly

In this room the Egyptians could practice their mummifications!  They need to be perfect so that people they were mummifying could get into the underworld.  We also put in a trap door in the so we can get down into the secret room where the mummification happens.

Year 6 children gather for evacuation!

On Thursday 24th November, the Year 6’s of Penpol School donned their 1940’s attire and were transported back in time. On arrival, their labels were checked and destinations confirmed. Roll call was taken and they were escorted into the school building to await further instruction. Whilst waiting, they were given the opportunity to meet their fellow evacuees, discuss their destination and make sure they had the government stipulated items in their suitcases, sharing these with their peers.

Upon inspection and arrival at their destination, the evacuees had the opportunity to write back to their loved ones at home to let them know they’d safely arrived and how they were doing. The evacuees then spent the rest of the morning creating model spitfires; learning of their importance in the war, playing some 1940s children’s games and cooking up a storm with our lovely land girls and their authentic rations dessert recipe. Blackout procedures were followed to a ‘T’, throughout the day, when the air raid sirens sounded and all evacuees were safely accounted for thereafter.

During the afternoon the cooking continued and the pupils explored the Blitz through some beautiful artwork. Parents were then invited in for the evacuees to share their ‘Wartime Britain’ work from the past term with some 1940’s music to set the scene and the rations dessert sampled.

 

Year 3 Have a Pharaoh Time At Truro Museum

Last Tuesday (8th November) saw Class 7 and 8 head off to Truro to visit Royal Cornwall Museum as part of their ‘Ancient Egypt’ topic.

Once we had (eventually) gotten the train from Hayle to Truro, we marched down to the museum.

When we arrived, we were able to have some free time to wander around the museum and find out lots of interesting facts about the different exhibits.

However, afterwards, it was then time to explore the ancient Egypt area…

 

One of the tour guides from the museum told us all about (and showed) their different Egyptian artefacts, a sarcophagus and a real mummy! We even got the chance to draw on some papyrus paper!

          

Finally, we got to watch (and some of us help) an Egyptian mummification (on a dummy). We pulled out the mummy’s brains, scooped out their intestines, but kept the heart safe inside. All of the organs were placed into canopic jars for safe keeping.

After our time at the museum had concluded, we walked back up to the train station and faced another train conundrum…

Remembrance Service 2022

On Sunday 13th November, six Y6 pupils represented Penpol School at the Hayle Remembrance Service. The first part of the service took part in St. Elwyns Church before we paraded down to the war memorial. After listening to the names of all the local people who had fallen, we heard the last post and stood in silence to remember them. We laid a wreath on behalf of Penpol School.

 

The service was particularly significant to the Y6 pupils as we have been learning about the impact of WWI and WWII in our Wartime Britain topic. We have also been making our own poppies and wreaths and writing poems based on Flander’s Fields. The local community praised the respect and maturity of our Y6 pupils. It was also nice to see so many other past and present Penpol pupils representing their local clubs at the service who were equally respectful and role-models for our school and community.

 

 

Our Penpol School Vision: “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.”

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Chris Coyle-Chislett

secretary@penpol.cornwall.sch.uk

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2 St George's Road, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4AH

01736 753472