🥐 A Crew Breakfast to Finish an Amazing First Week! 🥐

28th August 2026Laura Parsons

What better way to finish our first week together than with a Crew Breakfast! ❤️

We spent the morning sitting together, chatting, sharing food and continuing to get to know one another. It was such a lovely opportunity to slow down, enjoy each other’s company and celebrate what has been a brilliant first week in Year Two.

But what made our breakfast extra special wasn’t the food… it was the crew thinking that happened all around it.

The children decided that we needed to all sit together so that nobody was left out. Without being asked, they organised themselves, moved furniture around and worked together to create one big space where we could all be together. 🥰

And when breakfast was finished, they didn’t just leave it for someone else to sort. They worked together to degunge the classroom, put everything back and rearrange the furniture ready for the next part of our day.

These might seem like little things, but they are exactly the things we want our crew to be about — looking out for one another, taking responsibility, working together and making sure everyone belongs.

What a start to the year! 🌟

I couldn’t be prouder of Crew Attenborough and I can’t wait to see where our journey together takes us. 💚

Crew Attenborough: Collaboration, Communication and a Floor Full of Lava! 🌿🔥

27th August 2026Laura Parsons

What a brilliant first week back for Crew Attenborough! 💚

We have spent lots of time getting to know one another, learning what makes our crew special and, most importantly, beginning to understand what it really means to work as a team.

We have tackled lots of crew challenges, including one where we had to build the tallest tower we could. It was fantastic to hear the children thinking carefully about how they could work together. One child summed it up perfectly:

“We need to work together or we won’t do it.”

Another noticed just how important communication was:

“We did some good communicating to help us.”

And today, our collaboration skills were REALLY put to the test… because the floor turned to lava! 🌋

Working in small teams, the children had to figure out how to get safely across our classroom using only the stepping stones. Just when they thought they had cracked it, Mrs Parsons made things even trickier…

The floor was lava all the way to Mrs Bradshaw’s office! 😱

There was lots of problem-solving, communicating, encouraging, changing plans and, most importantly, persevering when things didn’t go quite right.

Step by step, the children worked together to pass the stepping stones all the way from Class Five, along the corridor and safely to Mrs Bradshaw’s office. And, of course, we couldn’t resist a sneaky little photo when we finally made it! 📸

What a brilliant way to finish our first week. We are already seeing the beginnings of a crew who listen to one another, encourage each other, solve problems together and don’t give up when something feels tricky.

We wonder what Crew Attenborough will be able to achieve when we really start working as one crew… 🌿💚

Watch this space!

Class Six Book Fairies 📚🧚

27th August 2026Lauren Gate

This week Class Six have been thinking about the question “does Crew stop at the school gates?”. As part of this, we have been thinking about what we can do to help our local community and we decided we were going to be Book Fairies!

All week the children have been working really hard. They have been showing respect when listening to the stories and even spent time designing and redrafting their very own Book Fairies.

This morning we have been out on a walk around Norton hiding lots of books! If you are out and about around Norton today, or even walking home from school, make sure you keep an eye out for a book to take home and read!

Our First Community Meeting 🌟

26th August 2026Laura Parsons

What a beautiful way to begin our first Community Meeting together! Our children sat so beautifully, listening carefully and modelling our character trait of respect. It was lovely to see them showing each other that they were ready to listen, learn and share.

We shared the wonderful story Try, which reminds us that things don’t always work the first time. The message is simple but powerful: when something feels difficult, we don’t have to give up — we can keep trying, learn from what happens and have another go. 🌱

This led us into a conversation about heroes. At first, our heroes were the ones we might expect — Hulk, Superman and other superheroes with incredible powers! 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️

But then our thinking began to change…

We wondered: Does a hero have to have superpowers?

Could someone be a hero because they are kind? Because they help someone? Because they keep going when something is tricky? Because they stand up for someone else? Because they make a difference in their community?

And perhaps most importantly… could we be heroes too? 💛

It was wonderful to watch the children move from thinking about heroes as characters with superpowers to recognising that ordinary people can do extraordinary things through their choices, their courage, their kindness and the way they look after others.

What a lovely first Community Meeting — and what a brilliant start to our year together. 🌟

Crew Parkinson: Building Resilience Through Tangrams!

10th June 2026Laura Parsons

Resilience was out in full force this morning in Crew Parkinson!

Our children were challenged to create different animals using tangram puzzles. It wasn’t always easy, and there were plenty of moments where we had to persevere, rethink our ideas and try a different approach. The children showed fantastic determination as they grappled with the challenge and refused to give up when the pieces didn’t quite fit the first time.

Once everyone had chosen their favourite animal design, we set about transforming it into our own tangram puzzle. The children carefully added colour and features to bring their creations to life, thinking about how they could make them both attractive and challenging for others to solve.

Next week, we’ll be sharing our puzzles with our crew mates and putting each other’s problem-solving skills to the test. We can’t wait to see who can crack the challenges that have been created!

A wonderful morning of creativity, perseverance and teamwork—well done, Crew Parkinson! 🧩✨

Staying Clean & Safe – Looking After Ourselves and Others

13th May 2026Laura Parsons

This week in our Key Stage 1 community meeting, we explored another important part of our guiding question: How can I be the healthiest version of me? Our focus was on hygiene and how simple daily actions—like washing our hands—can help keep us healthy and protect the people around us.

Understanding Germs

We began by thinking about why we wash our hands. The children shared great ideas, which led us to talk about something we can’t see but that is all around us—germs!

We explained that:

  • Germs are tiny and invisible
  • They can make us poorly
  • They spread very easily from person to person

To help bring this idea to life, we described germs as being like invisible glitter—they can quickly travel from our hands onto surfaces and other people without us even noticing.


Stopping the Spread

Through a short role-play, the children explored how germs spread and how we can stop them.

We acted out what happens when someone sneezes into their hands and then touches objects or other people—and quickly realised how easily germs can travel. We then practised a better way: sneezing into our elbow, helping to keep those around us safe.

We also compared handwashing habits, thinking about who is making safe choices and why.

When Should We Wash Our Hands?

The children shared lots of important times when handwashing matters, including:

  • After using the toilet 
  • Before eating 
  • After coughing or sneezing 
  • After playing outside 

It was fantastic to see how much the children already know about keeping themselves clean and safe.

Why Hygiene Matters

We talked about why these small actions are so important:

  • They help keep us healthy
  • They protect others around us
  • They stop germs from spreading

We linked this to our wider school community, reminding the children:

When we look after ourselves, we are also looking after everyone else.

Making Safe Choices

To finish, we played a quick game of “Safe or Not?”, where the children used thumbs up or down to show whether actions were helping to stop germs spreading. This was a fun and effective way to reinforce our learning.

Our Key Message

We reminded the children that small actions can make a big difference. Simple habits like washing our hands properly and sneezing into our elbow help to keep everyone safe, healthy, and ready to learn.

We were so impressed with the children’s understanding and engagement during this session. Ask your child what they remember about stopping germs—you might hear about “invisible glitter”!

Thank you for your continued support.

Sleep & Feeling Ready – Supporting Healthy Routines in KS1

6th May 2026Laura Parsons

This week in our Key Stage 1 community meeting, we explored another important part of our guiding question: How can I be the healthiest version of me?

Our focus was on something simple but powerful—sleep—and how it helps our brains and bodies feel ready for the day ahead.

Why Sleep Matters

We began by thinking about how it feels when we are really tired. The children shared lots of honest and relatable ideas—feeling grumpy, slow, a little bit silly, and sometimes finding it hard to concentrate.

This helped us understand an important message:

Sleep helps our brains and bodies get ready for a new day.

Tired vs Well-Rested

To bring this to life, we acted out two different learners:

  • One who was tired—yawning, not listening, struggling to focus
  • One who was well-rested—standing tall, smiling, ready to learn

The children quickly noticed the difference and were able to explain why sleep helps us to be focused, kind, and ready for school.

What Happens When We Sleep?

We talked about what sleep does for our bodies in a simple, child-friendly way:

  • Helps our brain grow and learn
  • Supports our mood (less grumpy!)
  • Gives us energy
  • Keeps our bodies healthy

We described sleep as a way of recharging our brains—just like an iPad charging overnight!

Building Healthy Bedtime Habits

We then discussed what helps us get a good night’s sleep. The children shared some fantastic ideas, including:

  • Having a calm bedtime routine (such as a bath or story) 
  • Turning off screens before bed 
  • Going to bed at a similar time each night 
  • Creating a calm, quiet space 

It was lovely to hear how many children already have positive routines in place.

A Moment of Calm

We finished by practising a simple breathing technique to help our bodies feel calm and ready:

  • Breathe in slowly
  • Hold
  • Breathe out gently

This is something the children can use at home as part of their bedtime routine or whenever they need a moment to reset.

Our Key Message

We reminded the children that sleep is one of the best ways to help us feel ready for school. When we are well-rested, we can learn better, feel happier, and be the best version of ourselves.

We were so impressed with how thoughtfully the children engaged in this conversation. Why not ask your child what helps them feel ready for school—you might discover some great ideas to try at home together!

Thank you for your continued support.

Being the Healthiest Version of Me – Healthy Eating Community Meeting

29th April 2026Laura Parsons

This week, we came together for a Key Stage 1 community meeting as part of our guiding question: How can I be the healthiest version of me?

During our time together, we focused on how the food we eat helps to keep our bodies strong, healthy and full of energy. To get us thinking, we began with a simple question—holding up an apple and a piece of chocolate:
“Which one helps our body grow strong?”
The children quickly recognised that while some foods are better for our bodies, we can still enjoy a balance. This helped us introduce an important message: healthy eating is about balance, not restriction.

Learning About Healthy Foods

We explored the different types of food our bodies need:

  •  Fruits and vegetables help keep us healthy
  •  Carbohydrates (like bread and pasta) give us energy
  •  Dairy helps build strong bones
  •  Protein supports growth and repair

The children enjoyed sharing their own ideas, talking about the healthy foods they already love and eat at home.

Healthy or Not?

We then played a quick game of “Healthy or Not?” where children responded to different foods using actions:

  • 👍 Hands on head = healthy most of the time
  • 👎 Hands on knees = sometimes foods

This was a great way to reinforce that some foods are everyday foods and some are sometimes foods—and that both have a place in a balanced diet.

Reflecting Together

We spent some time thinking about how healthy foods help our bodies. The children shared brilliant ideas about how food gives us energy, helps us grow, and keeps us feeling good.

We also linked this back to our wider learning:

If we want to be superheroes in our community, we need strong, healthy bodies!

 Making a Healthy Pledge

To finish our community meeting, each child made a simple, personal pledge about how they can make a healthy choice:

  •  Eat more fruit and vegetables
  •  Drink more water
  •  Try a new healthy food

This moment encouraged the children to take ownership of their choices and recognise that even small changes can make a big difference.

 Our Key Message

We reminded the children that being healthy doesn’t mean being perfect. Instead, it’s about making small, positive choices each day that help our bodies grow, stay strong, and feel their best.

We are so proud of how engaged and thoughtful the children were during this session. Ask your child about their healthy pledge—you might even be inspired to make one of your own!

Thank you for your continued support.

Class Six Are Artist Extraordinaires 🎨

28th April 2026Lauren Gate

Last week we dove head first into our art case study. We spent the week working with different mediums to create a range of different pieces of artwork from our sea creature outlines. We started the week with pastels, making bright, colourful pop-art style pieces of art.

On Tuesday we moved onto sketching, we spent a lot of time thinking about tone, shading and creating patterns with our sketching pencils.

On Wednesday we worked with watercolour pencils. We spent a lot of time thinking about which colours work well together, how light/ dark we should make our colours and how we can effectively blend our colours together.

On Thursday we had a blast working with printing! We worked with everything from cotton buds and dice to pieces of lego and sponges.

We are so proud of the artwork we created last week in Class Six!!