I was a little under the weather last week and was pleased when the weekend came. I now feel well rested and ready for the week to come- well Monday anyway!

The weather has been glorious and last week it was great to see the children out in the sunshine enjoying themselves. It seems to have been a very long winter. Let's hope that there is more sunshine to come.

Last week I went to Cullompton Community College for the 'Community Week Celebration Day'. During the previous week all schools in the Culm Valley had taken part and this day brought together a 'Show Case' of all the good work. Colourful displays, dance, music, song and foods to sample, attracted an audience from around the valley. Well done to everyone - especially the children.

I was also kept busy with budget planning last week- the usual story of trying to 'do more and more with less and less money'.

Have a good week.

Community Week went well and we say a big thank you to our visitors who introduced us all to their culture and beliefs. We learnt about Poland, Slovakia and China, speaking a little of the languages .Years 3 and 4 children learnt how to play the Ukulele and entertained each other with what they had learnt. Next week some children will go to Cullompton Community taking with them some of the work and photographs of last week. This is an opportunity for all 16 schools of the Culm Valley to share what they have learnt and celebrate Cultural Diversity.


The weather was great last week and I am pleased that this continued into the weekend. On Saturday I went for a lovely long walk around Killerton and on the Sunday walked along the beach at Teignmouth. Looks like it will be okay next week too- sunny intervals and pleasantly warm.


Our Red Nose Day event, 'Dress in Red or Ready for Bed!' helped to raise over £170 for this worthy charity. Thank you to the school council for organising the event.



Have a good week.

Powderham Castle

The 600 year old home of the Earl of Devon provided the ideal setting for our children to bring their Victorian learning to life.

They made comparisons between lifestyles through interactive sessions and hands-on activities with the resident Housekeeper and Cook in a Victorian Kitchen and Servants Hall.

Last week was busy, busy, busy . The year 5/6 boys got through to the finals in cage Football. I'm still not quite sure what that is! We were overall winners of the Culm Valley Cross Country this season and our running club grows in popularity. I also enjoyed watching the mini Tag Rugby Tournament held at Kentisbeare. The ground was a little 'boggy' but they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were plenty of refreshments afterwards and I managed to resist the lovely cakes baked by Kentisbeare parents. Well done to Miss Dudley and Mr Palmer for organising the event and Mr Wright for serving refreshments.

Mr Wright and year 2 spent the day at Powderham Castle and they were quickly put to work in the kitchens re-enacting times gone by. They all looked great in their Victorian costumes and both children and adults had an excellent day.

On Saturday Ms Elenor and Mrs Thompson took keen walkers around the 12 miles of Wimbleball Lake in preparation for the Exmoor Challenge. Lots of parents and staff accompanied the children, although apparently Mr White, Mr Wright and their team managed to get lost! Obviously they were not paying attention. Joking aside, I am very proud of them all as they show such commitment and determination - well done.

This week is Community Week and we will have lots of visitors working with our children. I am looking forward to Monday when music advisor, Ollie Davey will be teaching years 3 and 4 how to play the Ukelele.

Can't wait.

Didn't They Do Well

Becky, Helen and Jake receiving their well deserved award.

Helen receiving award for 'Best Junior Speaker'.
The standard of entries was very high this year and all children at the finals were already regional winners. Well done to Exeter School who came first and all the other finalists.

It was lovely to have a chat with so many parents at our Spring Term Parent Evenings . I also see a lot of parents on a daily basis who offer their time and support listening to children read and ferrying them to and from sporting events.

On Thursday the Foundation and year one children invited parents in for the morning to share their love for stories and celebrate National Book Day. In the afternoon, whole school, assembly the teachers entertained the children with their retelling of The Gruffalo. This was well received by the children and I can't wait to see the photos.

On Friday evening I went along to the Manor Pavillion Theatre in Sidmouth to watch the '3D A Chance to Dance' show. Over the past five weeks our year 5 children have been enjoying and experimenting with the dynamics of Street Dance. For the show they had put together a combination of street dance styles including popping, waving, hip hop, robotics and break dancing. They had the opportunity to work with professional dancer Mandi Wall who came out to Kentisbeare during the five weeks. It was superb. Well done to all the children and of course their teachers. My perfect evening ended with fish and chips from The Premier Cafe in Budleigh Salterton.

On Saturday I went along to the finals of the Rotary Junior Public Speaking Awards. Our year six (who were already winners of their heat) were fantastic, a credit to their parents and the school. Finishing second they came away with certificates so well done Jake, Helen and Becky. Helen also snapped up Best Speaker Award. Photo soon.

So it was quite a busy week. Also; years 3 and 4 had a visit from the Royal Albert Mobile Museum service- reinforcing their learning of Ancient Egypt, some year 4 s went off to play in a rugby tournament at Sandy park and year 1 children had a visit from dance specialist Jo Tasker and some of her university students. Will the latter develop into another show- who knows.

Sunday I spent at home.
An equally busy week ahead but there will still be time for pancakes- Shrove Tuesday is the 8th March.

Exeter Cathedral Celebrations 200th Anniversary