Read below to find out more about some of the different activities we have been getting up to; from sporting and musical activities, to visitors and 'wow' days. We are looking forward to helping our children 'explore and grow' further in 2025-26.

• Brilliant Beginnings!

  Tue 09 Jan 2018 M Davis

  We have had a fantastic start to 2018 with lots of exciting activities across the school.

   

  Our 'R' for this term is Resilience. The children are working hard on keeping going and not giving up when things get tricky.

   

  In Class 1 the topic is Polar Explorers. The children are already finding out about the different animals that live at each pole as well as using their topic to develop their learning skills in the classroom.

   

  Class 2 had excitement on the first day of term, when they found their classroom had been destroyed over lunchtime. Mrs Almond thought that we had been burgled! To the relief of Mrs Almond, and the surprise of the children, the children found that a dinosaur had been in the classroom and had caused the chaos. What a great start to their dinosaur topic!

   

  Class 3 started the term focussing on being resilient. Their topic this term is focussed on space and space exploration. They began their term with a literacy challenge which had to be performed flat on their backs, as an astronaut may lie in the space shuttle. The challenge was pinned under the tables and the children had to solve the problem before they could come out from under the tables!

• Christmas in a Day!

  Mon 18 Dec 2017

  What a fantastic day we have had today!

   

  This morning started with a walk up to Exton Church where we held our Christmas Carol Service. Children from Class 3 read the story of the nativity, whilst classes 1 and 2 created the nativity tableau. There was some fantastic singing, including teaching everyone how to sing 'The Holly and the Ivy' in two parts. Well done to all the parents and friends who came and joined in!

   

  Once we had walked back to school, the children spent time making Christmas hats in time for our Christmas Lunch. Lizzie cooked yet another delicious meal and we managed to get over 80 people into the hall, including the nursery to share our festive meal. Crackers were pulled, turkey was carved and shared, and lots of potatoes, stuffing, sausages, peas and carrots were consumed. I heard that one child in year 3 ate 9 roast potatoes.... surely this must be a record!

   

  After a quick playtime, the children changed into their party clothes before returning to the hall for some party games. There was a round of 'four corners' and some musical statues, before our special visitor arrived! Father Christmas was heralded into the hall with a round of 'Jingle Bells' before presents were handed out. After lots of thank yous from the children, Father Christmas was sent on his way with a chorus of 'we wish you a Merry Christmas'. 

   

  After all that excitement, the children went back to their classrooms for some 'down time' before returning to the hall for the Christmas Disco, hosted by FOEGS. Disco Steve, as ever, did a fantastic job, and there were prizes all round! Thank you to Sheila and Sarah for sorting the refreshments.

• What a fantastic show!

  Thu 14 Dec 2017 M Davis

  Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening saw the performances of our Nativity play and Pantomime.

   

  The show began with the Nativity, presented by Classes 1 and 2. This year they presented 'Lights, Camel, Action' which combined the Nativity story with Strictly Come Dancing! The singing was amazing and the hosts and judges kept all the dancers on their toes. From Caesar's dance criticism to the Donkey and Innkeeper's wife more constructive comments, the scores were varied! It was lovely to see all of the children performing confidently, from Mary and Joseph and their solo singing, right down to our youngest children dancing and singing. The Camel Funk was definitely a favourite for the children! At the end of the play the message was loud and clear, that the most important arrival at Christmas was baby Jesus.

   

  Class 3's pantomime followed the Nativity. This year it was Aladdin. Widow Twanky had everyone laughing and Abanazar and his henchmen kept everyone in the audience booing. The treat this year was the dancing. The children have had three sessions learning to Jive as part of their PE, and they put this to good use, choreographing their own dances using what they had studied. Of course, Aladdin won through in the end and married the princess, whilst Widow Twanky ended up marrying Abanazar, who had a change of heart and became good. The show ended with a happy ending, with some great solo singing before the cast joined together for the final song. 

   

  The advantage of being a small school means that every child who wants to have something to say, gets the chance, and that everyone can have a starring role. There are some very talented actors, singers and dances across the school. Both performances were fantastic, and I can't wait to see what we produce next year. 

• Singing at Oakhouse

  Wed 13 Dec 2017 M Davis

  Year 3 travelled to Oakhouse Residential Home in Greetham on Wednesday to share their Nativity songs with the residents. We enjoyed sharing the story with the residents in their lounge, and they even joined in with the actions in the final song! It is lovely to be able to take some our super singing out into the community to share our love of Christmas with people who are unable to come and see us in school. 

   

  Merry Christmas to all those in the local community!

• Hannukah Assembly

  Mon 11 Dec 2017 M Davis

  Our Governor, Linda Edward, came into school today to talk to us about the Jewish festival of Hannukah.

   

  Linda began by explaining to the children all about Latke, a fried potato cake. She had made some and brought them in especially for everyone to try. She then talked about the festival of Hannukah and showed us her Menorah. She talked about what the candles symbolise, and about how Jewish people celebrate Hannukah. She showed us her dreidl and explained why these are important to Jewish people. 

   

  At the end of the assembly we were all given a chocolate coin.

   

  Thank you very much to Linda for coming and sharing her faith with us. It is great that we are able to hear about other faiths and how they celebrate their special festivals. 

  

• Carols Round the Tree

  Fri 08 Dec 2017 M Davis
  A huge thank you to all the children, parents, friends and family who came and joined the Carols Round the Tree in Exton on Friday. This annual event, led by the school, truly marks the beginning of the festive period. Despite the cold, a good number of the village and the school family joined together to sign carols and watch the lights being turned on on the tree of remembrance and light. The tree, once again looks terrific. A huge thank you to Jo Downton who organises this.

• Year 5/6 Basketball Tournament

  Thu 30 Nov 2017 M Davis

  Eight of our year 5 children set off on Thursday to take part in the RSSP Basketball Tournament. Mrs Ranson was very proud of all the children who took part, and the were fantastic ambassadors for the school. 

   

  Games were fiercely fought, and the team ended up 3rd in their group. Well done to all concerned, particularly as the teams you were playing were mostly made up of year 6 pupils! You are all stars and should be very proud of yourselves. 

  

• Year 2 RLT Benchball Festival

  Tue 28 Nov 2017 M Davis
  On Tuesday 28th November, the year 2 children went to Cottesmore Millfield to take part in the RLT Benchball Festival. This event mixed up the children from all the RLT schools into colour teams, in which they then played beachball against each other. The children had a fantastic time and enjoyed playing alongside other children from different schools. It was lovely to see the children demonstrating our 6 Rs - being ready to have a go, respectful of others, resilient, responsible, reflective and resourceful. Well done to all of those who took part!

• Class Dojo

  Tue 28 Nov 2017 M Davis

  I hope that parents are enjoying the information that they are receiving via Class Dojo. It really is a good way to keep in touch with what is going on in the classrooms. No longer can your children get away with answering 'nothing' to the question 'what have you done today?' From children receiving ClassDojos, to photos of classroom activities, it is a great platform for having a better understanding of what your child gets up to each day! 

   

  The children are really enjoying collecting their Dojos and the quick and easy system means that it is much easier for staff to award them. We have been asked if we can be more specific with what rewards are for. However, this would make the system harder to use and less accessible. As a general rule, being 'on task' or 'ready to learn' is linked to attitudes to learning, being 'responsible' is being kind or helpful and 'respectful' is usually for good manners. Ask your child if you are not sure - they should be able to tell you!

• High Sheriff of Rutland Visit

  Mon 20 Nov 2017 M Davis

  Today we were visited by the High Sheriff of Rutland.

   

  After a quick tour of the school, he joined us for assembly, where he told the children a little more about the role of the High Sheriff. He talked about the charities which he supports, including Warning Zone and the Air Ambulance. He came wearing his ceremonial dress and the children had many questions about what he was wearing and why! They were most impressed by his ceremonial sword, and he agreed with one of our younger children who warned him that it was dangerous and he needed to be careful! He assured the children that it was only for show!

   

  A huge thank you to Craig Mitchell for giving up his time to visit us.