Dear Parents and Carers, 
It has been assessment week for children in Years 1 to 6. These assessments are an important part of helping teachers understand the progress children are making and where further support may be needed. I would like to say a special well done to our Year 1 children, who completed their first set of assessments with great maturity and resilience. Assessment week is always a busy one with lots of marking and analysis from teachers and hard work from children, but we’ve still managed to squeeze in additional opportunities as always.
This week
We began the week with an assembly about British values. The children were able to talk confidently about the five British values that help bring our diverse country together: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance. It was encouraging to hear the children discuss what these values mean in practice and how they apply them in their daily lives at school.
On Wednesday, a number of our pupils took part in the TEAM Multi-Academy Trust cross-country event. All of the children completed the course and represented the school brilliantly, showing determination and great sportsmanship throughout. We were also delighted to bring home two gold medals and two silver medals. Well done to everyone who took part.
Some of our Year 6 children also completed an impressive 13-mile practice walk on Friday as part of their preparation for this year’s Exmoor Challenge. The challenge itself involves a 16-mile hike across Exmoor where the children navigate using only a map and compass. For this practice walk, they teamed up with children from High Bickington and walked from Torrington Cycle Hire to Meeth. It was a fantastic effort from all involved and great preparation for the challenge ahead.
Next week
Next week we will be holding our parent consultation meetings in the afternoons. If you have not yet booked an appointment, please do so through Arbor. These meetings are an important opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and development with their teacher.
Strong communication between home and school is one of the real strengths of a small village school like ours. Being a small community means we are able to know our children and families well, and these conversations help us work together to support every child to flourish both academically and personally.
We are also looking forward to welcoming parent governor and art specialist Holly Stevens into school next week. Holly will be working with the Owls class on a mixed media art project inspired by the Hindu stories they have been studying in their religion lessons. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the children to express their learning creatively.
Hedgehogs class will also be heading out on a visit to RHS Rosemoor next week. During the trip, the children will be learning about where our food comes from and exploring the wide variety of edible plants that we rely on. It promises to be an engaging and hands-on learning experience for the class.
Have a lovely weekend.
George Myers
Head of School
