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“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.”
The Reception classes had a truly magical and memorable day at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth.
I weared a cloak, it made us see Oshi and the grown ups didnt see Oshi because they didnt have a cloak – Georgie
We looked at the waves and the surfboards and we saw Oshi. She showed us treasure – Zuri
We followed a trail of clues to discover the whereabouts of a mysterious sea sprite named Oshi, who came from the legendary lost land of Lyonesse. Donning our magical cloaks, we followed the fishy path that led us beneath the waves to find her. Oshi told us how a great storm once swept her out to sea, and how the mighty waves rose up and swallowed her homeland beneath the ocean. The children learned that Lyonesse is a mythical land once said to lie between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly—lost forever beneath the waves in a single night.
We never put plastic bottles in the sea because then the mermaids will not like it, the rubbish will need to go in the bin – Autumn
With the children’s help, Oshi retold her tale using musical instruments to create the sounds of the sea—the whooshing wind, crashing waves, and rumbling thunder. It was a fantastic way to bring the story to life!
I saw a cannon ball and I saw a submarine window and I saw money, Oshi found them in sea, in where the sand was at the bottom of the sea – Arthur
Oshi also showed us some fascinating treasures she’d discovered on the ocean floor: a real whale’s tooth, a piece of shipwrecked wood, and even a heavy cannon ball! The children were amazed by these mysterious objects from the deep.
We then explored the Boat Hall, where we examined all the different parts of boats—sails, hulls, the mast and more. Inspired by what we saw, the children designed, built, and sailed their very own mini-boats on the museum’s boating pond. It was great fun watching them test their creations and see which ones floated the best!
We saw lots of boats there, we made boats and we sailed them in the water – Eliza
I loved going in the lifeboat, I had a life helmet – Ella
Afterward, we explored the surfing exhibition, where we learned all about Cornwall’s surfing history and culture. We saw old wooden surfboards, wetsuits through the ages, and even a huge board once used in big wave competitions!
I liked the skateboards, I got a skateboard at home. I like the sea – Christopher
A trip up the Look Out Tower gave us stunning views across Falmouth Harbour. We spotted some enormous and very expensive-looking sailboats and yachts. The children enjoyed using the binoculars to take a closer look at all the boats coming and going.
I liked the Captain American surf board. I saw a really big boat, there were 3 little boats on the side of the big boats, lifeboats – Jack
Finally, we ended the day with big excitement in the RNLI Rescue Zone, where the children got hands-on with life as a sea rescuer. They rode on jet skis, rescue boats, and even climbed aboard a life raft—learning how the RNLI helps people stay safe at sea.
I really liked when we went in the boats. I really liked going in the big orange boat because it was really fancy. It was a circle it goes out to sea with lifeguard in it and makes sure everyone is OK – Jackson
It was a day packed with stories, adventure, and discovery—Reception had a brilliant time and left with a boatload of memories! We would like to say a big thank you to Seth, Marilyn and Fiona at the museum for making our visit so much fun.
Plastic pollution is so bad and it will make animals really sick and sometimes so poorly they could die. We could pick the pollution up off the beaches – Esme
When it comes to a Cornish Cream Tea, there’s one question that’s crumbling the peace: which should you spread first—jam or cream?
Our Cornish Club decided to whisk things up by taking part in a tasty experiment to see which method our students preferred. The results were as buttery as a freshly baked scone—but there were definitely some crumbs of controversy along the way!
Cornish Vocabulary:
Dehen Te – Cream Tea
Jamm – Jam
Skonsen – Scone
Dehen Molys – Clotted Cream
The Battle of the Scones
A Cornish cream tea is a beloved tradition in the South West of England, made up of scones, clotted cream, and jam. But the order of toppings is where the real debate lies.
Cornish Way: In Cornwall, the correct method is to spread the jam first, followed by a dollop of clotted cream on top. The jam acts as a base to hold the cream in place—like a perfect marriage of sweetness and richness.
Devon Way: In Devon, however, the cream comes first, with the jam plopped on top. Fans of this method say the cream acts as a soft, luxurious base, letting the jam sit pretty on top—like a crown atop a royal scone.
The Great Taste Test:
Students were invited to try both methods and cast their vote for the ultimate cream tea combination. The room buzzed with excitement as everyone spread their toppings, each determined to win the argument.
“Mrs Bettens, you are wrong, the best way is dehen/cream first”, came a healthy debate from Morwenna.
As the scones disappeared and the debate rumbled on, it became clear: there was no easy way to spread the love in this argument.
Conclusion:
After much deliberation, the children decided there is no ‘right way’ to eat a scone, just whichever way you find jam-packed with flavour! Whether you’re team Cornwall or team Devon, one thing’s for sure: a Cornish cream tea is a treat worth arguing over.
Just remember: no matter how you spread it, it’s bound to be splann/super!
On Wednesday 25th September, Penpol School celebrated European Day of Languages for its 7th time. We are so fortunate to have so many languages being spoken as either a first or second language by our students. Penpol’s multi-lingual community was the inspiration behind this year’s new ‘Mini Europe’ language long, which echoed around the hall and classrooms during the afternoon’s singing assembly:
When walking down the halls of Penpol School
I heard a lovely song being played
It celebrated the languages our students know
And the value that all of them play
This was followed by 7 different verses in the languages spoken by students at Penpol School which reflects the breadth of languages we have at our school.
In addition, the French café was a firm favourite among 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, Bettens had KS1 enthralled with a reading of ‘Goolan’ to celebrate the Cornish language.
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! Until next year!
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.
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.
As a part of the Gorsedh Kernow celebrations, we were joined by Go Cornish’s Will Coleman during the summer holidays to help us get to grips with the Cornish language.
Children, parents and visitors alike had a great time learning some key words and phrases. We look forward to continuing our journey with Go Cornish this year.
You can practise some Cornish at home too by following the links below:
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.
Here at Penpol, we have a rich community which stretches far and wide, beyond the school gates. For three years, we have been in contact with Madame Jourdain’s Year 5 classes, at Le Bourg primary school in SW France. We have been exchanging letters, information about our lovely school and area, sending over games and passing on cultural differences between the two countries.
One aspect which is very similar between the two countries right now is that French children are now, like us, working from home for the time being, rather than at school.
Maintaining connections during this rather strange time is a powerful thing – be it with family, friends, teachers, as well as our friends over the pond at Ecole Primaire le Bourg- and it gives us all a sense that we are in this together.
The children from Le Bourg primary school have sent messages, some in French and some in English, detailing what they are getting up to during this period outside of the classroom. I am also very excited to send some of our own messages in French/ English to let them know what we are doing during this time. Please feel free to send them in to your teachers if you have anything you would like to share in French…the more, the merrier! Also, if you feel like you need a refresher on some of the topics your teachers have been doing with you, with the help of Mr Woolcock I have uploaded a French and Spanish section with plenty of games and activities to try out and boost your confidence. You can find the French and Spanish section on the home learning section of the school website.
For now, check out the lovely message sent from their teacher, Madame Jourdain, as well as the letters from the Year 5 children below and see how you get on with some of the translations…
On Tuesday morning our year 6 children visited Hayle Academy; here they not only had the chance to explore languages from around the world but the opportunity to dive deeper into how languages are constructed before having a ghostwrited at creating their own language.
The second session consisted of constructing and writing letters to their favourite authors. These will then be posted off with the hope of getting a reply. So watch this space!
Each half-term, students from Classes 11 and 12 have written a letter or email to a penpal in France. The aim of the French penpal exchange, which has been running successfully for over two years, was for our students at Penpol to better understand the similarities, as well as differences, between school life in France and at Penpol. This opportunity also offers a platform for our students to use their French for a real purpose, being able to ask their French counterparts any questions they may have about life in France.
As Year 5 have recently been studying reflexive verbs to say what they do on a daily basis, the first series of questions sent to France were based on what time their French penpal got up, started school, finished school and how much homework they received. The responses from the French students provided plenty of discussion. Did you know that French students start school at 8.30am and don’t finish school until 4.30pm? However, though the school day is longer on most days, children in France only have a half day on Wednesday, followed by the afternoon off school to take part in extra-curricular activities.
As well as sending emails, which is first drafted in their books, then sent on to France, the children have also received and sent festive cards.
It’s great writing to someone from another country. It’s a fun way to practise French! Isabella, Class 11
Next up, Year 5 will be creating a guess who game centred on the topic of hobbies. Watch this space for more news about Penpol’s thriving Cornish- French email exchange!
As the scones disappeared and the debate rumbled on, it became clear: there was no easy way to spread the love in this argument.
