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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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Nursery

Nursery Adventure To The Millpond

This week, Nursery went on their very first adventure together out of the school gates! They went for a walk around the local area to see if they could spot any of the animals they’ve been learning about this term.

Walking carefully in pairs, the children braved the rainy weather to walk through the school, out of the gate and down the road to the Millpond. En route, they spotted some seagulls, crows, pigeons and magpies.

After arriving, it was time for a quick go in the park (after all that sensible walking), and the children proved that a little bit of rain wasn’t going to spoil their fun! They paused for a scenic snack before continuing the walk.

Next, the children walked through the woodland area and around to the pond itself, where they spotted some swans, ducks and a moorhen.

After such a busy and adventurous morning, the children made their way back to school, once again showing fantastic listening, teamwork and sensible walking. The team are so proud of how they represented the school community on their very first outing together, and are already looking forward to many more adventures beyond the school gates!

 

From Tin Mines to Tales: School Celebrates Cornwall in Style

Students and staff came together this week to celebrate Cornish culture, heritage and language in a vibrant, school-wide event. The special themed week aimed to raise awareness of Cornwall’s unique traditions while encouraging pupils to explore a rich and often overlooked part of British identity.

Throughout the week, lessons across different subjects were adapted to include Cornish themes. In history, students learned about Cornwall’s past, including its mining heritage and ancient legends. English lessons introduced traditional Cornish stories, while art classes focused on designing pieces inspired by the Cornish coastline and minehouses.

Nursery put on their baker hats and bakes scones.

Reception made some Cornish flags and learnt the phrase ‘Gwag ov vy’ I’m hungry.

Year 1 completed a Cornish Artist study based on Anthony Frost

Year 2 created Bee Factfiles and Cornish Standing Stones

 

Year 3 have been completing a mining study, complete with art work and learning about St Piran.

Year 4 have been retelling the story of Bolster the Giant and making ‘heva cake’

Year 6 created Celtic crosses and mining artwork.

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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Nursery visit to Marazion

Today, Nursery visited Marazion Beach to link to our learning about creatures, habitats and our local environment. We had an exciting trip on the minibus to get there and the children behaved fantastically, making lots of people smile by being so polite and friendly.

We started by meeting Kerry, from St Michael’s Mount, who spoke to us about the most common litter that is found at Marazion. The children were great at identifying which items belong on the beach and which do not! Equipped with gloves, grabbers and bags, the children then eagerly took part in our beach clean, collecting lots of litter and comparing the interesting items that we found.

After our beach clean, we then enjoyed our lunch with a beautiful sea view followed by a play on the sand. The children built sandcastles, searched for shells and we even had some sand angels!

We then had a lovely time on the park with the children really enjoying the rope bridges, pirate ship and slides! We had a fab day and there were lots of sleepy children on the coach home!

Creativity in Full Bloom with Author and Illustrator Maia Walczak!

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.

Reading and Writing is Magic, and Magic is for Everyone

Our annual Reading and Writing Is Magic Festival has been nothing short of spectacular, filled with fun activities, challenges, and a whole lot of creativity! This week, we’ve been celebrating the life-changing power of reading and writing in every corner of the school, inspiring everyone at Penpol to embrace their imagination and explore the magic of words.

The key theme of the week was ‘Reading and writing is magic, and magic is for everyone’ — a message that has resonated throughout every activity. We’ve focused on the idea that every child has the right to…

  • Be creative 
  • Have a planet to read and write on
  • See themselves reflected in a book
  • Have some choice in what they read and write
  • Read and write for the joy of it

We had the privilege of hosting Cornish writer Ben Rowswell, who led energetic and inspiring assemblies for all year groups. His passion for storytelling was contagious, and everyone was excited to tap into their own creativity. You can learn more about Ben and his work here: Cornwall Adventure.

To keep the creative spark alive, every child has been given their own special notebook — a place where they can write freely and express their ideas throughout the year. It’s a space for independent creativity, giving each child the chance to freely write for the joy of it.

At Penpol, we believe reading and writing are truly magical, and this festival has been a perfect reminder of how important and exciting these skills are. Here’s to many more adventures with books, stories, and the endless possibilities of writing!