More Real-Life Heroes Visit Our School

10th November 2025Laura Parsons

This week, we were lucky enough to meet Keith and Dave from the Victoria Cross Trust. They spoke to us all about the incredible work they do to support veterans and restore the graves of those who served our country.

We learned why Remembrance Day is so important, and Keith and Dave shared stories about local heroes from Doncaster who were awarded the Victoria Cross — the highest military honour for bravery. We even got to see a real Victoria Cross medal, which was a very special moment for everyone!

Dave also told us fascinating stories from his own time in the army, helping us to understand the courage, teamwork and sacrifice shown by so many.

We were all left feeling inspired to remember and honour those who have served — and we can’t wait to share some of our own Remembrance projects over the next few days.

To thank them for their visit and all they do for others, we were proud to present Keith and Dave with one of our special Community Champion awards. It was hard to choose which character traits they showed because, quite simply, they are wonderful examples of them all — courage, kindness, determination and respect.

Thank you, Keith and Dave, for reminding us what it truly means to be a hero. ❤️

Expert Visitor – Ed Miliband

17th October 2025Laura Parsons

This week we were very lucky to welcome a special expert visitor — Ed Miliband! Ed came to talk to us about his job as a Member of Parliament and to share his passion for helping people and protecting our planet.

He explained what it’s like to work in government and how he represents people in our local community. The children had the chance to ask him lots of brilliant questions, from “What made you want to be an MP?” to “How can we help stop climate change?”

Ed spoke about the importance of looking after our world and gave us some simple but powerful ideas about what we can all do to make a difference — like walking or cycling instead of driving, recycling properly, and reminding our families to save energy at home.

We were proud to present Ed Miliband with our Community Champion Award for showing compassion towards people and the environment. His visit reminded us that everyone, no matter how young or old, can make a positive change in their community and in the wider world.

Expert Visitors: Community Heroes in Doncaster

7th October 2025Laura Parsons

This morning, we were very lucky to welcome more expert visitors to help us answer our guiding question:
“Not all heroes wear capes – How can I be a hero where I live?”

We were honoured to be joined by Ros Jones, the elected Mayor of Doncaster, Jackie Dudley, the Deputy Civic Mayor, and David Milnes, who is the Mace Bearer and official chauffeur to the Civic Mayor.

Our visitors spoke to us about their important roles in Doncaster and the ways they work to make a positive difference in our community. We learned all about the Mansion House — one of only a few remaining in the country — and discovered how special it is to have one right here in Doncaster!

Ros shared her CBE medal, which was incredible to see up close, and David gave us the chance to look at the official Mace, which was fascinating to learn about.

They also spoke about what inspires them in their roles and how proud they are to serve the people of Doncaster.

To say thank you for their time and the compassion they show every day towards our community, we were very proud to present them with one of our Community Champion Awards.

What an inspiring morning learning from real-life heroes who make Doncaster a better place to live!

KS1 Presentation of Learning Invitation

2nd October 2025Laura Parsons

This term, our Year 1 and Year 2 children are going on an incredible learning journey through our Autumn expedition, Not All Heroes Wear Capes, guided by the big question: How can I be a superhero where I live?

From creating their own superheroes inspired by Supertato, to marching for justice after studying Let the Children March, to meeting real-life heroes from our community, the children will explore what it truly means to show courage, compassion, and kindness.

We would love to invite you to join us for our Presentation of Learning:

  • Tuesday 2nd December
  • 3:00pm – 5:00pm
  • School Hall

You don’t need to stay for the whole time — please feel free to drop in at a time that’s convenient for you between 3:00pm and 5:00pm.

This special event will take the form of a museum-style gallery walk, where you’ll be able to see:
– The children’s artwork and writing
– Photographs and memories from expert visitors
– Pop-art placards from our peaceful march
– Reflections, pledges, and our very own expedition book
– Introduce some of the real-life heroes they have met, who will be joining us to help demonstrate their skills

It’s really important that the children come along too, as they will be your tour guides — explaining their learning, sharing their work, and showing off everything they have achieved.

Friends of Norton Campus Association will also be supporting us by selling refreshments during the event — so you can enjoy a drink and a treat as you explore the children’s fantastic work.

This is a celebration of your children’s hard work, character, and creativity — and a chance to see how they have discovered that not all heroes wear capes… sometimes they live right here in our community.

We can’t wait to share this with you!

Key Stage One Crew

A Visit from Stuart – Learning About Helping Homeless People

2nd October 2025Laura Parsons

This morning we had a very special visitor in school. Stuart came from an organisation called Starting Point. He spoke to us about his important job supporting homeless people across Doncaster.

Stuart told us that his role is to make sure people who don’t have a safe home can get the help they need. He explained that this could mean finding them a safe place to stay, helping them get food, clothing, and health care, and supporting them to make positive changes in their lives.

We asked him lots of thoughtful questions, such as:

  • What is your favourite thing about your job?
  • What can we do to help?
  • How do you get donations to help people?
  • Where do you take people to be safe?
  • How many people have you helped?
  • How many homeless people are there in Doncaster?
  • What are you most proud of?
  • What inspired you to help homeless people?
  • How can you help people stay clean and healthy?
  • Do people volunteer to help homeless people?

Stuart said that one of the best parts of his job is seeing people smile again when they feel safe and supported. He told us that anyone can help by being kind, donating food or clothing, or even just raising awareness about homelessness.

We learned that there are many people involved with the work Stuart does. Together, they make a huge difference to people who might be going through very difficult times.

At the end of Stuart’s visit, we were proud to present him with one of our special Community Champion Awards. The children thought carefully about the character traits Stuart shows every day in his work. We agreed that he demonstrates compassion, respect, and integrity in all he does.

Meeting Stuart made us think about how important it is to help others in our community. We left the session inspired and ready to play our part in making Doncaster a kinder place for everyone.

RE in Year One

30th September 2025Anna Wojcik

This week  we have been reading some stories from different cultures and looking at the deeper meaning of them. We read the story of ‘Duni Chand and the silver needle’ and discussed how to be kind and generous to others. We made an anchor chart to list our ideas and then we added a cup of water to a class bowl and explained what we would like to add more of to the class. 

Beautiful Art work

12th September 2025Anna Wojcik

We’re excited to share some amazing artwork that our Year 1 children  have been working on. We have been exploring Pop Art known for using bright colours and bold shapes. We used powerful action words like “BANG!” “ZOOM!” “WOW!” “BAM!” and “WHAM!” 

Our Second Hero Visitor – Ben Parkinson

9th September 2025Laura Parsons

As part of our expedition, we welcomed our second hero – and we couldn’t think of anyone who embodies our core values more than Ben Parkinson.

Before his visit, the children spent time researching Ben’s life and his incredible achievements. This meant they came ready with knowledge, curiosity, and thoughtful questions. When Ben arrived, alongside his equally inspiring mum and dad, he shared photographs and special objects that held deep meaning to him. Listening to his story gave our children the opportunity to show real compassion and respect as they heard about his journey.

The children asked some fantastic questions, which Ben answered with honesty and humour, leaving everyone inspired. To recognise the way Ben embodies all of our school’s character traits, we were proud to present him with one of our Community Champion Awards.

The timing of Ben’s visit was even more special because, during our first week back, we had been selecting crew names inspired by people who show strong character. One of the crews had chosen Ben Parkinson as their role model, so they were absolutely thrilled to meet him in person and have their crew photograph taken with him.

It was a truly memorable and inspiring visit, and we are so grateful to Ben and his family for sharing their time and story with us.

Our First Expert Visitor – Author & Illustrator Phil Sheppard

4th September 2025Laura Parsons

Today we were lucky enough to welcome our very first expert visitor of the expedition – the brilliant author and illustrator Phil Sheppard!

Phil shared some of his fantastic stories with us, and we especially loved The Worm Book. There were plenty of laughs and lots of fun as he brought the story to life while reading aloud.

Afterwards, we took part in a draw along where we learned how to create our very own superheroes. The children did an amazing job and showed off some fantastic creativity!

To make the day even more special, we had the opportunity to buy our very own signed book by Phil – a real treasure to keep.

We all agreed that Phil truly deserved one of our special Community Hero awards for his craftsmanship and the quality of his work. What an inspiring start to our expedition!