They told us how to stay safe on our visits to the beach, reminding us of the system of flags used by the RNLI on beaches patrolled by lifeguards: red and yellow - safe area for swimming and body boards; black and white - area for surfing and kayaks; and red - unsafe to enter the water. 

They instructed us how to cope if we get caught in a rip tide: stay calm and float.

At the event, more than fifty exhibits (including live animals and some big, big 'toys') illustrated an aspect of the local farming and food production industry (‘food to fork’), supported by more than 200 volunteers, who kindly gave up their time to make this event happen. The occasion was an interactive learning journey to see how our food travels from field to plate. It was difficult to say which was our favourite animal (they were all so cute), but many of us were eager to smuggle home with us one of the piglets. 

As well as some delicious ice cream, we also sampled some tasty cheese, some scrumptious eggy bread and some fresh apple juice.

Our thanks to Holly Braund and Kimberley Neville for accompanying us.

In the afternoon, the girls joined with the boys for an athletics multi-skill event. It included such 'track' events as lap relays and obstacle relays; in the 'field' there were long, triple and vertical jumps, speed bouncing and (soft) javelin throwing.

Thanks to Mr Mould for being our 'manager' and to Mrs Lamble, Mrs Orchard, Mrs Stuckey and Mr L for transporting us to Bodmin - and back again!

The theme of the assembly was friendship.

To have good friends, one needs to be a good friend.

We read some poems we had written about friendship.

We look forward to seeing Reverend David again when we celebrate Easter in a few weeks time.

A friend is one of the best things you can be and the greatest things you can have.

In the afternoon, as part of the commemoration of Remembrance Day, the PTFA organized an Armistice Day Tea, extending an invitation to families and friends in the village and beyond, many of whom could recall memories of their wartime experiences.

We were delighted at the attendance for this event held in the school’s hall. Each of the classes had produced a display featuring the poppy as the theme.

Our thanks to the PTFA for organizing the event and to everyone who donated cakes.

Passing through the imposing entrance to the onetime prison, we were greeted by Bex, who was to be our guide on a historical journey from the 1700s to the beginning of the twentieth century, discovering along the way the realities of incarceration resulting from the justice and penal systems of the Georgian and Victorian periods.

The ‘Dark Walk’ is, if you’ll forgive the pun, a captivating experience; an experience in which one is immersed in a gruesome history.

The walk uses theatrical effects and state-of-the-art cinematic technology that allows us to travel back to Cornwall’s murky past – from the crimes to the courthouse and thence to the punishments that were meted out as part of the penal servitude of the times.

Punishments were harsh: from the monotonous hours spent on the treadmill (during a gruelling eight-hour shift on this machine devised by Sir William Cubitt, a prisoner would climb the equivalent of 2,400 metres), the crank, shot drill and picking oakum to, for more serious infractions of the rules, whipping and birching. All these ‘measures’ were intended to have been deterrents to reoffending, but, alas, they didn’t take account of the circumstances that may have led to the offending in the first place, such as poverty and its attendant scourges.

Although by contemporary standards they appear severe, the Victorians’ ‘reforms’ were an improvement on the conditions of such an institution as Bodmin gaol in the seventeenth century.

In the damp communal cells, sanitation was non-existent (in 1759 it was estimated that one in four prisoners died from a form of typhoid known as Jail Fever) with up to eight inmates housed in a cell with a floor area of three square metres, with no account taken of the age or sex of the prisoner or the category of his or her offence.

Shockingly, it was not uncommon for children to be imprisoned, accompanying their mother or father who had committed a crime, but also in these times criminal acts (petty crimes such as stealing a comb, a blanket or a piece of celery – violations of the ‘sanctity of property’) committed by children were judged in the same ways as those committed by adults. It wasn’t until the Children’s Act of 1908 that imposing adult sentences on children was outlawed.

As we wandered through the gaol’s historic corridors, we had the opportunity to engage with Cornwall’s rich cultural heritage while reflecting upon the everyday hardships facing the poorest in society and to understand the evolution of justice and morality in society where the purpose of prison has changed so that depriving offenders of their liberty is not only to punish but, where appropriate, also serves to reform and rehabilitate those who are capable of being reformed and rehabilitated so they can lead law-abiding lives.

First to welcome the families and friends who were joining us in our celebrations were our Early Years and KS1 children, who performed songs and poems related to the theme of harvest time.

Following the younger children, Adventurers and Trailblazers stepped into the spotlight. 

We would like to thank everybody who was able to come and join us in our celebrations; thanks to Reverend Meg for her inspiring and uplifting words; and to the PTFA for organising some delicious refreshments. 

As the celebrations ended, a piece of music by J S Bach entitled 'Sheep May Safely Graze' was played. This musical offering was in our minds as we had had the pleasure of hearing it being played by members of the ensemble Apollo's Cabinet, who had visited the school earlier in the week. 

In part, the piece resonated with us because it was evocative of our beautiful surroundings and reminded us how blessed we are to live in such an inspiring landscape - and with some sheep safely grazing in the fields around us.

Of the eight teams contesting, we finished fourth.

Teresa, David, Harry, Jonatan and Thomas play authentic instruments from the Baroque period: a range of woodwind instruments, including the sopranino recorder (and the perhaps more familiar descant recorder of fond school memory) and the mellow-voiced travserso flute; guitar and chittarone (a type of theorbo); violin and viola da gamba; and a 57 string harpsichord.

The theme of the workshop was the concert organised for the birthday of Frederick the Great of Prussia by his court composer Johann Quantz. The ensemble played pieces performed at the celebrations, some of which were specially written for the celebrations by Telemann and Bach.

Sound Waves South West operates an instrument loan service. More details are available on its website.

First, he introduced himself at our Wednesday assembly. During the day, he visited each of the classes and performed a number of 'tricks'. However, the tricks were not really magical, but were based on mathematical and logical principles. Jon was kind enough to explain how some of the tricks worked. Who said that maths is boring!

KS1 spent some time with Farmer Fiona to learn how she cares for her animals and how she grows food for them. In this session, we learnt about a cow’s digestive system, nutrition, food chains and habitats.

KS2 spent some time on call with Dr Claire, a farm vet. We watched as she carried out an inspection of a cow’s teeth, and headed out on a poo walk to hunt for invertebrates that are an essential part of a farm’s ecosystem.

So, from 11 a.m. on Thursday 14th March, we joined Dr Claire for an action-packed morning of cow care and emergency calls.

In the session from 11 a.m., we observed a cow health check being undertaken and compared a cow’s digestive system to ours. Then we were introduced to some brand new calves to learn how their nutritional needs change throughout their lives before delving deeper into digestion as we headed into the field to conduct a cow poo check and hunt for the fascinating invertebrates that are a crucial part of a farm’s ecosystem.

In the afternoon session, we saw some cows being scanned to see if they were pregnant and learnt how farmers care for their cows’ hooves. We also hoped to catch a live calving and witness how Dr Claire responds to the emergencies to which she may be called.

In addition, we learnt all about animal lifecycles, reproduction and inheritance.

​​Dr Claire will also set lots of extra challenges to complete before, during and after the sessions so that we got a taste immersed of the world of work.

We joined with pupils from five other schools across North Cornwall that had sent representatives in our category. No sooner had we entered the hall, then we were off and running – and jumping and throwing!

We participated in a number of track and field events – relays, obstacle races, vertical jumps, standing jump, (soft) javelin and ball push - hardly having time to catch our breaths, such was the fever pitch of activities.

Thanks to Mr Mould for organising the team and driving the minibus, and to Mr L for tagging along with us.

This year, Songfest had a close connection with the region, paying tribute to our county’s rich Celtic heritage, and its deep-rooted link to the sea. The chosen theme for this year’s performances was ‘Sea Shanties’. Steeped in a long maritime tradition, these enchanting songs reflect Cornwall’s enduring relationship with the watery expanse that surrounds it.

Under the expert musical direction of Angela Renshaw and Patrick Bailey, these timeless songs sought to bond a new generation of children to our region’s rich cultural inheritance.

At 9 a.m., we boarded one of the coaches in Mr Tilley’s well-appointed fleet, belted up and set off for our destination full of expectation and excitement. After a short detour owing to a road closure, we arrived at Morwellham Quay and alighted into bright sunshine. First, we were escorted to a room where we watched a video about the history of Morwellham, which focused on the Victorian period. We learnt that Morwellham was at its busiest in the 1860s when mines in the Tamar Valley were some of the biggest in the world. Having learnt about mining, we were eager to take a ride into the mine just down river from the quay. We walked the short distance to the ‘station’ where we boarded the carriages of a train pulled by an electrically powered engine.

We entered the mine at one of the entrances to the Deep Adit. From time to time, we stopped to view life-sized dioramas of the miners at work, and the water-wheel which was used to pump water from out of the lower levels of the mine. One of the ways in which ore was extracted was by lighting fires next to the rock face and quickly cooling the heated rock with water. The rapidly cooling rock would crack and split. Later, productivity was increased with the introduction of gunpowder into the process; although the process of extracting the ore was still a laborious task: at first, the holes into which the gunpowder was loaded were made with a drill bit and sledge-hammer, but the innovation of drills powered by compressed air meant that the process was rendered a little easier (if considerably more noisy) for the miners.

Once the ore had been extracted, it was sent to the dressing floor. Here the ore was sorted according to size and then broken by women (known as bal-maidens) using sledge-hammers into pieces the size of large eggs. The ore containing a high copper content was placed to one side and the pieces of ore containing smaller amounts of the metal was passed on to the children (usually girls of seven or eight years of age earning three or four pence per day) to refine further until the pieces are about the size of a marble. We had a go at breaking some ore. We were exhausted after only a few minutes at the task; it didn’t require a lot of imagination to know how we might have felt after a shift of twelve hours! At least we were allowed to take some copper ore as a souvenir of our visit. From the dressing floor, the ore was then usually transported to South Wales to be smelted into pure copper. As it takes four tons of coal to produce one ton of copper, it made more economical sense to take the copper to the coal rather than bring the coal to the copper!   

Although the labour of children was exploited in the mine and on the dressing floor, some children were lucky enough to attend a school, founded by Elizabeth Rundle in the 1830s, where they were drilled in the three Rs – and, of course, their duty to God and the monarch. Discipline was strictly enforced, often with the application of a cane to the tenderer parts of the anatomy, or, perhaps less physically painful but no less humiliating, the donning of a dunce’s hat. Attendance was not compulsory, and parents had to pay a penny per week per child for the privilege.

One of the most interesting and amusing activities of the day was dressing in clothes of the Victorian period. At this time, more so than today, there was a clear distinction in the quality and elegance of the clothes worn by people at different levels of society: silk, satin and lace compared to cotton, linen and shoddy.  Dressed in our Sunday best, we posed for a photograph outside the chandler’s shop once owned and run, very successfully, by Jane Martin.

We certainly enjoyed our visit to Morwellham Quay and thank Miss Mars for organising the trip, and to Mrs Gubbin, Mrs Lamble, Mrs Mart and Mr L for accompanying us on the visit.

As we left the village on the minibus, the heavens opened and we were assailed by a hail storm, the icy spheres beating a rattling tattoo on the roof of the bus. Fortunately, the storm was a brief one.

We weren’t going all the way to Exeter on the minibus: we completed the last part of the outward journey on a train on the Dartmoor Line (reopened in November 2021), which we boarded at Okehampton station. The journey, which took about 40 minutes, took us to Exeter Central station, a short walk from the Royal Albert Memorial Museum.

The museum, described as a jewel in a Venetian casket, was opened in 1868 and contains many different collections, many of local, national and international importance and outstanding historical or cultural significance.

Perhaps the best known exhibits are the ones about the natural world and human creativity over the millennia, and the various cultures of the world: there is a wonderful assemblage of fossils and minerals (not to mention the stuffed animals), and human artefacts, including tools and costumes across the ages. After exploring the museum, rumbling tummies were insistent that it was time for lunch.

Snaking along sun-bathed streets, we made our way to Exeter cathedral and had our lunch on a sunny cathedral green. After lunch, we entered the cathedral and completed the Saints Treasure Hunt.

Each of the ten saints in our hunt have symbols that represent them (for example, the fishing net of Saint Andrew). The saints had ‘lost’ these symbols, and it was our task to search for them hidden around the building; it didn’t take us too long to find all the missing items. With satisfied smiles on our faces, it was time to make our way back to the station to catch the train back to Okehampton. As we weaved our way through our fellow pedestrians to the station, we took the opportunity to pass the ‘house that moved’. The ‘house that moved’ is a 700-year-old Tudor merchant’s house that was moved (intact) in 1961 90 metres from the corner of Edmund Street to West Street to allow for a new road layout. However, we don’t think that it really would qualify as a mobile home!

At Exeter Central, we had just enough time to have a quick snack and a pit-stop before our train departed. In what seemed like no time at all, we arrived at Okehampton, clambered onto the minibus and were on the road back to school. Thanks to Mr Mould for organising the trip, and to Mrs Langford, Mrs Mart and Mr L for accompanying us. It had been a grand day out!

In our Wild Tribe sessions, we have been preparing for a serious challenge; a challenge that would test our physical abilities, test our emotional resilience and test our mental fortitude: we were going to climb three of the tors on Bodmin Moor - Showery Tor, Brown Willy and Rough Tor.

During the weekly sessions leading up to the challenge, we have been preparing ourselves for the moorland trek under the guidance of Belinda Midwinter (Wild Tribe Specialist with the Arena Sports Partnership based at Callington Community College).

In the sessions, we have been considering the logistics of participating in such a challenge; gaining knowledge of how to conduct ourselves responsibly in a wild place; learning how to navigate using a map and compass; developing skills in leadership and teamwork; planning a route for the day; and establishing Team Leaders, Deputy Leaders, Lead Navigators and their deputies. Also, we learnt to assess risks and how to remain safe (including what is appropriate clothing and sufficient, suitable rations) while pushing ourselves to the limits of our physical and psychological resources. By the end of the sessions, everyone was deemed to be ready to undertake the taxing physical and mental challenge, which for many of us would be our first such adventure. And so the day of the expedition arrived.

Accompanied by Mr Mould, Mr Worthington and Mr L, we disembarked from the coach at Rough Tor car park, where Helen Blackburn (Wild Tribe Specialist), Olly Midwinter and Belinda were waiting for us. As well as Helen, Belinda and Olly, recruits Mr Orchard and Mr Bailey were also waiting to join us on our expedition. After a safety briefing, our first task was to get into our small groups and for our navigators to set us on the right course for our first goal – the ascent of Showery Tor. The first of the three tors on our itinerary ticked off, the next stage of the trek was to the summit of Brown Willy, crossing the De Lank River using an ancient clapper bridge.

As we ascended to the summit of Brown Willy, Helen set us a challenge within a challenge: we had to decrypt a coded message which gave us the location of a geocache, in this instance a plastic box containing a miscellany of objects. Seeking respite and shelter from the wind after a scramble to the top of the summit’s cairn, it was time for lunch. After lunch, we took a moment to reflect upon our surroundings and appreciate the landscape of the moor, and the landscape that extended beyond it for mile after mile, from our lofty, panoramic position at the highest point in Cornwall.

Having retraced our steps back to the clapper bridge, we paused while the team chosen to lead us through the boulder field to the top of Rough Tor plotted a route. Although the energy levels of some were beginning to dip towards reserve, everyone eventually attained the summit of Rough Tor, the last one of our expedition. As we caught our breath, we admired the rock formations that looked as if they had been created, in a time long, long ago, by a race giants with artistic pretensions.

The gradual descent from Rough Tor back to the car park, with moorland ponies on either side of the track, as if they were mute spectators encouraging us on the last leg of our trek, was marked by happy feelings of achievement and satisfaction. There may have been many pairs of tired legs, but our hearts were full of pride as we had accomplished our goal of completing the Three Tors Challenge.

As we are the first school to complete the Three Tors Challenge organised by Arena, we are honoured to be the trailblazers.

We have taken the opportunity of our walking-booted challenge to raise funds for the Children in Need Appeal through the Countryfile Ramble 2023. To date, with have received donations and pledges that amount to over £470, and with donations still to be received, we are optimistic of reaching our target of £500. We wish to give a very big thank-you to everyone who has generously contributed to our fundraising efforts. It’s made all those blisters and aching muscles worth it!

After we arrived, the time until lunch was employed in exploring the museum, which occupies five floors. Our exploration began in the Main Hall, in which is exhibited the National Small Boat Collection, originally curated at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. There was a stunning flotilla of craft (small vessels propelled by muscle, wind or engine) on display, many of which were floating, somewhat surreally, not in their natural element but in air. Next, we descended to the Tidal Zone.

In the Tidal Zone, we went underwater. However, it wasn’t necessary to don diving suits. We were able to glimpse the harbour’s underwater world through two windows. As we looked out through the reassuringly thick glass, sleek silver fish languidly swam by, seemingly oblivious of their being observed. From the ‘underwater’ floor of the museum, we climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the tower to the Look Out, from which there are breath-taking views of the harbour, docks and estuary. Giddily descending the spiral staircase, we navigated our way to the Pirates exhibition.

Dashing, daring and adventurous or bloodthirsty, immoral and greedy: pirates of the eighteenth century are regarded by some as heroes of the age, while others view them as no more than cold-hearted cut-throats. It was fascinating to discover how, over the generations, pirates have been portrayed in popular fiction and film as symbols of freedom and adventure, and to discover the dark reality of the Caribbean pirates. In the afternoon, we took part in a workshop about the Vikings, who we are investigating as part of our history topic (Raiders and Traders) this term.

Perhaps the first image of a Viking that springs to mind is that of a bloodthirsty invader. But from first being unwelcome and uninvited visitors to Britain, they turned to trading with the Anglo-Saxons rather than stealing from them, eventually settling in Britain; indeed, even after their defeat in 878CE, there would be four Viking kings in the eleventh century. As traders, the Vikings, who were skilled boat builders, daring seafarers and courageous explorers, reached as far as Newfoundland, the Middle East and the coast of North Africa.

Belying their reputation as formidable warriors, the Vikings were also accomplished artists and artisans, trading furs, amber, horn (oh, by the way, the Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets!), jewellery and items of metalwork such as (unsurprisingly, perhaps) axes and chainmail for fine quality glassware, exotic spices and precious metals. It was fascinating to find out that the Vikings were more than just warriors but were also sea-going traders and explorers.

To end the workshop we had the opportunity to mint some replica coins using a method employing two dies, the lower die known as the anvil (impressing the reverse side of the coin) and the upper die the trussel (impressing the obverse side). Designs are engraved onto the faces of the dies and a thin metal blank (disc) placed between them. The trussel is struck with a hammer and the images are ‘stamped’ or impressed onto each side of the disc. And, voila! You have minted a coin – but we would advise you not to try this at home as a way of easing the cost of living crisis! You might find yourself attracting the attention of Warden of the Royal Mint!

We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a visit to Falmouth's National Maritime Museum. It was well worth the journey from the rugged northern coast of the county to the balmy southern coast to explore the lives of pirates and Vikings.

Where there’s brass there’s music…

Each year Sounds Waves South West organises professional workshops for schools in this part of the country. The groups introduce pupils to a wide range of music of different cultures and genres. Over the years, we have been entertained and inspired by string, woodwind and brass ensembles, and percussionists skilled in the playing of steel drums.

Members of the ensemble – Emma, James, Matthew and Tom – are passionate about Back Chat Brass bringing music to people of any age, especially those who might not have access to live music. As they declared, they weren’t born brass-instrument-playing professionals: they had the benefit of access to music in its many forms as well as inspiring teachers. They demonstrated that they had learnt their lessons well, being entertaining, engaging and enthusiastic musicians. 

Sound Waves is very grateful to the D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust for its substantial contribution towards the workshops.

En garde!

We have many opportunities to sample and take part in various sporting activities, many of which are arranged by our friends at Budehaven School. However, our most recent experience of ‘having a go’ was, for us, a first: fencing.

We were delighted to receive a visit from Becky and Andrew, who gave some instruction in the basics of sword fencing. By the end of the sessions, we were becoming familiar with the lunge, parry and riposte.

All for one and one for all. Slightly more difficult, perhaps, when there are over eighty chivalrous musketeers?

Yesterday, we (Adventurers) ventured to Crooklets beach to meet Fiona, a member of the The 2 Minute Foundation and its Beach School Co-ordinator. The aims of the foundation are to see a world without plastic litter and pollution, and to inspire and to enable people to change the way they interact with outdoor spaces.

Fiona outlined the activities for the day. First, we undertook a two-minute beach clean. The beach was divided into three sections, with a group allocated an area. Unsurprisingly, we were looking for plastic waste, in particular nurdles. The best place to find nurdles is along the strandline.

So, what is a nurdle? Nurdles are pellets of plastic, each less than 5mm in diameter and weighing around 20mg. It is from nurdles that plastic items are made; for example, it takes about 600 nurdles to make a small plastic disposable water bottle. Unfortunately, not only do the finished products end up in the oceans of the world but so too do nurdles.

Each year, an average of over 200,000 tonnes of nurdles end up in the oceans, circulating for decades, eventually washing ashore – at the moment, they seem to find Scotland’s coasts particularly attractive places in which to end their oceanic odysseys. 

Our next activity was exploring the rock pools of the inter-tidal zone. We were delighted to see that these were teeming with life. We were even lucky enough to find some Beadlet anemones and some Strawberry anemones; also, we found a rare Pink velvet crab lurking in one of the larger pools. After lunch, we tested our map-reading skills.

Fiona had placed some painted stones at various locations on the beach and our task was to navigate our way to them. As well as a picture painted on it, each stone had an interesting, ocean-related fact written on it. For example, nineteen out of every twenty animals on the planet lives in the oceans; and over half of the oxygen produced on Earth evolves from phytoplankton in the seas.

Our day on the beach in Fiona’s company was an interesting learning experience. We look forward to increasing our knowledge of pollution and recycling over the next few weeks as Fiona leads an after-school club.

To coin a phrase: every little helps!