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The Penpol Times

Jelly Friends ‘Floating’ as they win the Cornish Champions Award

"As we were called up to the stage we were all quite literally floating with excitement and our team were all buzzing - then the judges gave us a trophy and announced that we were going to Harrogate for the National finals!"
Evangeline
Class 14

Last year a team of nine students, The Dragons, arrived to RNAS Culdrose to take part in and experience the FIRST LEGO League.  Far from being daunted, they embraced every opportunity and came away with an award for the Rising All-Star team – one which the judges ‘expect great things from in the future‘.  Twelve months later (and now known as Jelly Friends) those same students returned to take part for a second year. 

So the question is, did they deliver on that lofty expectation this time around?  Well, read on and find out for yourself!

Innovation Project

Jelly Friends have spent the last six months working tirelessly on their Innovation Project, narrowing it down to a very specific problem: over half of the students at Penpol School said they were scared to go in the ocean in case they got stung by a jellyfish.

The thing is though, most jellyfish are absolutely harmless – just ask Evangeline!  So the project took shape, the team would find a way to let swimmers know if the jellyfish nearby were safe, or if they might be a cause for concern.

Over the course of the project, they researched lots of different ideas before settling on a wristband which lights up red or green depending on if the jellyfish is a friend or not.  This is then powered by underwater cameras linked to a Machine Learning project which Molly has coded in Scratch and Machine Learning for Kids. 

Combined, this created Sting Safe and the team presented their idea to the judges at Culdrose.  In fact, they were joined by more than the normal amount of judges as some other people got wind of what was happening and wanted to see for themselves. 

During the presentation, Jelly Friends were joined by three visitors from Google Cloud who were at Culdrose to demo their own Machine Learning software.  To say they were impressed by the team would be quite an understatement! 

You can see the project in action by watching Molly explain it in this video:

Despite all the extra people in the room this didn’t prove a challenge for Jelly Friends who delivered their presentation in a confident and fun way for the judges, resulting in them getting nearly a perfect score for their presentation – a staggering 39 points out of 40!

39 points

out of a total of 40

The judges shared that they enjoyed their “in depth research whereby the team consulted lots of experts” and that their “use of Machine Learning was very impressive“.  They were also impressed with how Jelly Friends were so “focussed on the problem itself and the impact of their solution“.

Robot Design

After sharing their Innovation Project the second presentation was all about the design of their robot and how the coding works.  For this presentation the team were well prepared by sharing their collaborative Freeform board with the judges.

This document is something the Jelly Friends have been working on since September and documents their process from building the robot, testing the first missions and developing and refining the attachments that make the robot complete different tasks.

Their Freeform board is quite massive and has really shown just how much time and effort the team have put into their project this year.  Using this helped the judges really see all of the progress they’ve made as well as the difficulties the team faced along the way.

"Going in to the judges room we had a bit of an idea what to expect from last year but it went a lot better than we all imagined and the judges were lovely."
Isla
Class 13

This year the team have really refined their robot to make it more reliable, accurate and powerful.  Using techniques like creating a launch area guide using Duplo meant they didn’t have to learn individual lineups for each mission whereas using coloured lights between different stages of their code helped the problem solving that always happens when missions don’t quite go to plan.

32 points

out of a total of 40

The judges comments for this part of the presentation praised the teams “evidence of strategy, testing and iteration” of their robot, especially the “use of their troubleshooting light” which was implemented in their code.  A real highlight though was how the Jelly Friends “addressed areas of improvement” from their robot last year, showing development and new learning over the course of this season.

Robot Games

The Robot Games is probably the most intense part of the competition, as you only get three attempts to show just what your robot is capable of.  Programs that run perfectly in school will likely fail under the pressure of competition, and weird issues will arise that simply couldn’t be predicted.  That said, every team is in the same boat, and it’s all to play for!

Jelly Friends had their first Robot Games match nice and early and were full of quiet confidence as the countdown rang out.  3, 2, 1, LEGO!  And then, quite frankly, it all went wrong!

Each of their meticulously planned missions either failed a little bit or failed spectacularly, resulting in them having to rescue the robot from the game table several times – losing points along the way.   When everything goes to plan, they can usually get a score approaching three hundred, but after match one, they were left with barely half that – 145 points.

Practice time followed and a chance to try to decompress and understand what went wrong.  The team believed the lineups were to blame, resulting in the robot getting stuck in places it shouldn’t have been stuck.  Changes were made, and the second round was a chance for redemption.

Or at least, that was the plan.  Unfortunately, the second run, despite starting stronger than the first, also turned into a nightmare relatively quickly.  Again, the robot got stuck, crashed into mission models, and generally didn’t work as it was programmed to work.  More points were lost by having to retrieve the robot, and a score of 160 was eventually posted to the scoreboard.

Could it be that after so many months of building, coding, refining, testing, and improving that the robot was going to be where it all came unstuck for Jelly Friends?  Well, if you think that, then you’ve clearly underestimated this team!

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Class ??

In a truly remarkable show of resilience and determination, the four Robot Engineers decided to spend their lunch time debugging and refining the code for their robot.  They realised the issue was with the gyroscope and set about correcting the problem.  It took a good twenty minutes, but the team felt confident that they’d managed to fix the problem.  Once that was done they even had time to adapt one of their robot attachments to improve its reliability.

And the reward for their effort?  The final round proved to be the dream outcome – a perfect round where every single mission worked exactly according to plan.  Finally, all of their months of coding and practice paid off and they achieved a simply staggering score of 290 points, much to the delight of everyone around – as you can see in the video here.

This set an incredibly high bar for other teams to meet and it was only in the final run of the day when their score was surpassed by Darite Primary, who managed to get an unbelievable 305 points – well done Darite!

145

Round 1

160

Round 2

290

Round 3

Robot Games

The Jelly Friends achieved the second highest score of the day in the Robot Games with a fantastic score of 290 points.

“It was really fun to have this amazing experience and go around looking and interacting with all the stands and people there at Culdrose. When we took our photos on stage, we all had our jellyfish hanging above Mr Woolcock.”
Molly
Class 13

Next Steps

Cornwall LEGO League: 1st Place

The Jelly Friends came first overall on Day 2 of the 2025 Cornwall Regional Finals and now progress to the UK National Finals in Harrogate!

They now have several weeks to refine their robot and presentations ahead of competing on the National stage!

Photo Gallery

You can click on any photo in this gallery to view it full size

Unlocking the World with Words: Reading in Reception

 Our young readers in Classes 1 and 2 are absolutely loving books! We asked them what their favourites were, and here’s what they said:

“I like the bus book. It turns into a hundred-decker bus!” – Hugo

“I like Bluey books, they make me happy!” – Reuben

Every day, you’ll find us sharing stories with each other, whether snuggled up in our cozy book corners inside or enjoying the sunshine in our outdoor book nook.

I like the book when the banana is a baddie! – Albert

Story time is a super important part of our day. We love getting lost in amazing worlds through books.  Whether we’re revisiting old favourites like The Gruffalo or discovering new adventures, reading together is always lots of fun!  We even get to vote on which book we read each day, taking turns choosing the next story.  Recently, we’ve loved ‘One Snowy Day’ and ‘Emergency!’ during our story times.

 

We also have a great time sharing stories with our parents during “Book and a Bagel” on Wednesday afternoons. It’s a chance to show off what we’ve been learning and enjoy all sorts of stories, from new ones like ‘When Cucumber Lost His Cool’ to classics like ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘Paddington’.

We read books. I like reading with Daddy! – Autumn

And we can’t forget our awesome reading buddies in Years 3 and 4!  Every week, we get to read together, share songs and learning, and hear about what the older children are up to. We even play games and make new friends!

 

I like to read a book with Leo. They read the unicorn one – Flora

Our Reception classes have had a fantastic time with reading events this year. We celebrated World Book Day with fun costumes, talked about our favourite stories, made bookmarks, and spent time with our reading buddies.

I liked reading stories. I dressed up as a unicorn! – Sylvie

It’s been incredible to watch our Reception children grow as readers. Their excitement for books, their ability to recognize and read new words, and their confidence in telling stories have all blossomed in just a few months.  We’re so excited to see where their reading journey takes them next!

Coral Coders Compete at Culdrose!

This week our team of Year 5 students visited RNAS Culdrose in Helston to take part in the FIRST LEGO League Cornwall finals.  They have been working hard for the past few months creating a LEGO robot which can complete missions using code they’ve written, as well as solving a real world problem through their Innovation Project.

The competition proved a fantastic chance to celebrate all of their hard work and gave them the opportunity to share this with the judges and students from other schools.  In fact, the Coral Coders were up against 26 other teams on the first day of the Cornwall regional finals.

So, let’s dive in and see how they got on…

Innovation Project

A good innovation project is all about finding a real world problem and designing a solution to help make the world a better place.

The Coral Coders immediately hit on their problem, Coral Anchoring.  They explained that this is what happens when a ship drops its anchor and then pulls on it as it stops moving, thereby dragging up coral and damaging the precious seabed.

The solution the students settled on was to create a different shape anchor which wouldn’t drag across the seabed as much, thereby greatly reducing the amount of coral getting damaged.

“I liked the bit where we presented to the judges because we got to present the robot and anchor designs and we got to ask each other questions too which was really fun.”

– Massimo

The team put together a compelling presentation to share their project which they confidently delivered to the group of judges.  Despite being their first time sharing this project outside of school, they came out buzzing with confidence and enthusiasm as the judges had really enjoyed their ideas and energy.

27 points

out of a total of 40

The judges agreed it was “brilliant to have identified a unique problem” and that they “created an excellent solution”.  They also loved seeing the physical prototypes of their anchors in real life.

Overall the judges were really impressed with what they described as a “slick, well rehearsed and well planned presentation”.

Robot Design Presentation

The second half of the judging session focusses on the students sharing their Lego Robot and discussing the way they built it and how they learnt to code it. 

As a first year team there was no shortage of things to talk about here and to try and cover as much ground as possible the team decided to do an ‘interview-style’ presentation where they asked each other questions about the robot and the journey they’d been on.

This proved highly effective and allowed the children plenty of opportunity to share their highs and lows of coding – from the missions which work every time to those which are much more troublesome – as well as all of the fun they’ve had along the way.

“When we were talking to the judges I kinda felt nervous but actually it was fine and as soon as we started talking I didn’t feel nervous anymore!”

– Charice

24 points

out of a total of 40

The feedback from the judges on their Robot Design presentation celebrated their “clear strategy, which was broken down into clear tasks” and suggested that further explaining how the code works would be a good place to develop for next time.

Robot Games

In the Robot Games you are given three opportunities to get your best score possible – giving each robot (and team member) a chance to warm up in the high-pressure environment at RNAS Culdrose.

The Coral Coders however were cool as cucumbers for their first match, with all five of the robot engineers launching their missions with control and precision – no mean feat!  And more still, the continued for all three of the Robot Games runs.

“I think the robot games was really difficult, especially when the last code seemed to break the whole system! It was really difficult to fix but we did it! And the whole thing was crazy fun!”

– Sorrel

As the matches went on the scores steadily climbed too, as the robot completed the different missions they had programmed it to do.  Whether releasing the shark, raising the ship mast or dropping the unknown sea creature, the robot moved with precision at all times.

“I found the robot building really fun, as was trying to program it.  It was definitely hard, but super interesting doing the Robot Games!”

– Dexter

160

Round 1

170

Round 2

175

Round 3

Robot Games

The Coral Coders achieved the second highest score of the day in the Robot Games with a fantastic score of 175 points.

“I loved having a go with the Virtual Reality stand.  It doesn’t matter if you win or not in the competition it’s about having so much fun”

– Resola

BBC Spotlight

If this wasn’t enough excitement for one day, three of our students were asked if they’d be happy to talk with a BBC reporter for Spotlight News! 

Without hesitation all three said yes and I’m delighted to say their interview made it onto Spotlight news that very evening! 

You can watch their interview on the right.

Reception Celebrate Science Week

What an exciting Science Week we’ve had in Classes 1 and 2! The children have loved getting hands-on with lots of fun experiments.

I liked everything! I planted flowers and gave them seeds and water – Hugo

We started off by making magical potions with baking soda, glitter, and food colouring—then added vinegar to create amazing fizzy explosions!

We made bubbles with baking powder, fruit colouring, glitter and vinegar. It made bubbles and exploded! – Ava

We also used Skittles and water to create beautiful rainbows and were amazed as the colours spread across the plate.

When you put the water on, the rainbow came – Ciara

I liked the skittles. The hot water made the rainbow come – Tristan

I like when the potions exploded! – Eryn

As part of our ‘Growing’ topic, we’ve been busy planting sunflowers, cress, and beans, learning all about what plants need to grow strong and healthy.

We put some water and dirt and seeds in it – Oaklyn

We also explored floating and sinking by testing different objects from around the classroom. The children made their own predictions before putting them to the test—there were lots of surprises!

The carrot was sinking and the pen was floating. The pencil was floating too! – Reuben

Our rain cloud experiment was another big hit! We watched in fascination as drops of colored water fell through the ‘cloud.’ We were also amazed by the Coke and Mentos reaction and had so much fun making our very own erupting volcano.

 

To round off the week, we visited the school’s science fair, where we got to see what other classes have been investigating. It’s been an exciting week full of discovery, and we think we have lots of future scientists in the making!

Reception Children’s Magical Adventure at the Minack Theatre

I was the queen fairy and I was in love with a donkey – Jackson

Our Reception children have embarked on an unforgettable journey to the breathtaking Minack Theatre for a singing, dancing, and performing workshop. The experience was a playful and immersive exploration of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, filled with music, movement, and storytelling.

We went to the Minack Theatre. I was a builder and we also did super heros. We had to save the day – Tristan

 

Led by the lively and engaging Wenna White, Betty Blue and Ryan Red, the children were transported into the magical world of fairies, kings and queens, builders, and even a donkey! Through song and dance, they brought Shakespeare’s enchanting story to life, stepping into the roles of characters and embracing the spirit of the play.

I was a fairy. We saw the dressing room. We had to collect magic dust. We had to be naughty with it and spread it over the builders and the princess and the donkey ee-or – Esme

 

The adventure didn’t stop there! As well as performing, the children had the chance to explore the stunning Minack Theatre and its beautiful gardens. They learned about the theatre’s fascinating history and how the remarkable Rowena Cade built it with her own hands. A real highlight was going backstage, where the children got a glimpse of where the performers prepare before stepping onto the famous stage.

I was being the prince – Ava, I was being the queen – Flora, I was being a fairy and I falled in love with a donkey – Georgie

The day ended with a special performance on the Minack’s stage, where the children showcased everything they had learned.

It was a magical and memorable experience for all, sparking creativity and excitement about theatre and performance.

A huge thank you to the Minack Theatre team for giving our children such an incredible opportunity. Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see some of them return as future stars of the stage!

 

Best Selling Author Drops into Year 3

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!

Exploring the Wonders of Science: Year 1 Learners Dive into Discovery During Science Week!

A Week of Wonder: Classes 3 & 4 Make Science Sparkle!

What an incredible week it’s been for Classes 3 and 4 as we’ve dived into a whirlwind of fun and fascinating experiments! From making our own rainclouds to cleaning up shiny pennies, and even creating explosive fizzy pops — we’ve truly been hands-on with Science!

We’ve been busy predicting, observing, and recording every step of our exciting experiments. But that’s not all! We even grew our very own rainbows! 🌈 It’s been a week full of colour, creativity, and curiosity — a Science adventure like no other!

Here our some of memories from this week:-

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fun; Penpol’s Magical Minack Adventure!

Excitement filled the air this week as Year 2 pupils from Penpol School’s Class 5 and Class 6 embarked on two magical trips to the Minack Theatre for a special Jack and the Beanstalk workshop. To make Class 6’s trip even more magical, pupils were dressed to impress as their favourite books characters for World Book Day!

The stunning open-air theatre, perched on the Cornish cliffs, provided the perfect setting for a day of storytelling, drama, and adventure. The children took part in interactive activities, bringing the classic tale to life with their own acting and imagination. They explored character roles, practised reciting and improvising lines and even had the chance to perform on the famous stage!

    

“It was amazing to act on a real stage by the sea!” said one enthusiastic pupil. Another added, “I loved pretending to be the giant – fee-fi-fo-fum!”

The workshop not only sparked creativity but also helped the children build confidence and teamwork skills. A big thank you to the Minack Theatre team for some truly unforgettable experiences on this historic stage!

 

Stay tuned for some Jack and the Beanstalk-inspired stories from the Year 2 pupils…

World Book Day 2025

On Thursday, 6th March, Penpol celebrated World Book Day with a day full of collaboration, creativity, and a shared love of reading.

Children and staff, from Nursery to Year 6, were invited to dress as a character from one of their favourite books. The school was filled with a host of Hogwarts students, a few ‘wimpy’ kids, some magical Matildas, a couple of gangster grannies, and even half a pack of crayons!

The day was filled with excitement, and there was a real buzz around the school as both children and adults shared their favourite stories. ‘Book bingo’ took over the library, while book reviews and recommendations were exchanged across the school and between classmates.

In the afternoon, pupils explored our outdoor spaces in search of hidden surprises. Scattered around the school were photos of familiar faces, and children worked together with their reading buddy classes to navigate the area. Using orienteering maps, they set off on a mission to discover the favourite books of staff.

If you weren’t able to find them all, don’t worry! They will remain up around the school grounds until the end of the week, or you can take a look below!

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.