Castle Primary School pupils in Stoke sub Hamdon were delighted to be invited to take part in an exhibition being displayed at the Octagon theatre in Yeovil to celebrate their reopening following lockdown.

Corfe, Totnes and Dunster classes all provided artwork which has been put on display in the foyer areas. The theme of the children's artwork is very apt at this time and is entitled "The Show Must Go On".

The Duty Manager; Arts Engagement Assistant, Katherine Hoskins said: “Thank you to the Castle Primary School pupils for providing us with some artwork to display
around the Octagon for our reopening! We are absolutely delighted with the amount and
quality of artwork which we received and it has really brightened up our venue!”

Pupils have been encouraged to visit the venue (where safe to do so!) and when the venue is open. Information regarding the Octagon opening times over the Christmas period are on their website.

The artwork can be viewed here:
https://www.octagon-theatre.co.uk/news/community-artwork-display-for-the-octagons-
reopening

A spokesperson from The Redstart Learning Partnership said: “We are absolutely delighted to hear about this great partnership and opportunity for the pupil’s at Castle Primary School. We’d like to thank the pupil’s for their fabulous artwork and
to the Octagon for allowing our pupil’s to display their artwork for public display”.

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Also in the News

Posted on: 23/07/2021

Summer term school trips for TRLP school

Schools of The Redstart Learning Partnership enjoy the end of term A number of schools from The Redstart Learning Partnership were not going to let the global pandemic put a stop to their end of year school trips.  After 18 months of interrupted schooling due to covid, things are gradually returning to some sort of ‘normal’ for schools.  With the lifting of certain restrictions, thankfully it was business as usual.  Winsham Primary, Stockland C of E Academy, Priorswood Primary, Holy Trinity Primary and Ashill Primary carefully planned their trips making sure they were fully compliant with all covid guidance keeping the staff and pupils safe, but also making sure they all enjoyed their end of term experiences. Winsham Winsham Primary School ended their year with a trip to Charmouth Beach.  Stone stacking, fossil hunting and a visit to The Fossil Centre were on the agenda with a rewarding ice-cream at the end. The children were amazed at how much plastic they came across when exploring the beach so they are making it their mission next year to campaign about the use of single-use plastic and water pollution.  Stockland C of E Primary Class 1 had the most fabulous, muddy time at The Bear Trail.  Class 2 had a wonderful time at the ‘National Marine Aquarium’ in Plymouth and were very excited to go on their first school trip this year.  Class 3 visited the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth seeing and learning all about fish from starfish to sharks, to sting ray and pollock (the fish in your fish fingers!)  They met Friday, the green turtle and dissected fish, it was very smelly, but lots of fun!  And finally, after an eight month wait the Year 5 and 6 children stayed at Pixies Holt, Dartmoor for 4 nights in bunk bed dormitories and participated in a range of outdoor activities led by instructors from the centre. Priorswood, Taunton Otter Class, from Priorswood Primary School, were lucky enough to enjoy a trip to the Museum of Somerset to find out all about life in Anglo-Saxon times.  The children took part in a re-enactment of a fierce battle between the Vikings and King Alfred, as well as a variety of workshops focussing on the Saxon objects found in the museum.  The year 6 Stag Class have been on three trips celebrating the end of their time at Priorswood. French Weir Park, a PE festival at Taunton Academy and Crealy Adventure Park to finish their time at Priorswood on a high!  Holy Trinity, Taunton The year 6’s from Holy Trinity Primary in Taunton spent the day at COACH kayaking and team building followed by an evening of campfire and camping on the school field ready for a 7am departure to Skern. At Skern they spent the day rafting and completing an assault course. A brilliant time was had by all the children. The Yr4’s have spent the term working on a Tudor topic so they walked into Taunton to sketch the oldest Tudor building in the town. Ashill All pupils from Ashill set out on an intrepid expedition to the Museum of Somerset. Hedgehog Class went straight into the learning room to begin a range of activities based around Somerset myths and legends, whilst the Squirrel Class began their journey through time and were fascinated by the idea that everywhere they walked would have been under the ocean at some point in time. Castle Primary School, Stoke Sub Hamdon Corfe Class enjoyed a number of excursions including Jubilee Woods and an amazing day at the Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury corn flailing, making butter, going on an eye spy trail and touring the museum.  Dunster Class enjoyed a visit from Portals to the Past for their Romans day looking at real Roman artefacts, joining the Roman army, trying on armour, being a gladiator, and throwing javelins.   Drogo class had a fantastic day at Ninesprings today with Becky the Ranger. They went on a Woodland Walk, tried out plant printing, experienced pond dipping and made their own clay animals. Everyone had a brilliant time! A real highlight to the year for Corfe, Drogo and Dunster Classes has been the ROAM forest school sessions, spending days at their own base camp in the woods of Dillington game playing, pizza making, den building, fire lighting, marshmallow toasting, tight rope walking, hammock chilling, mud kitchen messing, badger den finding, tree climbing, clay modelling and so on. Living the dream! Other class trips included: Castle Farm and St Mary's graveyard helping us with our understanding of chronology.   Finally, Fizz Pop Science came to visit Castle School.  Year 1 and 2 had a great time being ‘taste buddies’. The children explored their tongues and all the senses that are involved with taste.  They also enjoyed a fantastically explosive time with Fizz Pop science and a messy highlight making slime.   A spokesperson from The Redstart Leaning Partnership said: “We are delighted that our pupils’ have been able to enjoy their end of term school trips.  They have been through a difficult time recently and being able to get back to normality and to enjoy these experiences has been fabulous. We are very proud of our pupils acting as fantastic ambassadors for their schools and the TRLP and we are all now looking forward to what trips the new school year will bring. We would just like to thank all the school staff, volunteers and staff at each of the locations for making sure the children had a super time and were kept safe at all times, especially by making sure all covid guidelines were strictly adhered to’. Categories: 1 CategorySchool News

Posted on: 8/06/2021

Castle Primary's Eve: the off-grid life of a nine-year-old climate activist

Eve, follows a nine-year-old girl on her journey back to mainstream schooling at Castle Primary School (www.castleprimaryschool.com/) after moving to Tinkers Bubble, the oldest off-grid community in the UK. https://www.theguardian.com/news/georgemonbiot/2021/jun/01/eve-the-off-grid-life-of-a-nine-year-old-climate-activist?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco&fbclid=IwAR2gzuoM0Ewb16MY1fLlc9xCb0S1Zhola6xRMb2JqxRzqCuZUldPqpEGt1QCategories: 1 CategorySchool News

Posted on: 7/06/2021

Health week at Priorswood Primary School, Taunton

Pupils at a primary school in Taunton took part in mental and physical health activities this week. Priorswood Primary School, part of The Redstart Learning Partnership, took part in a variety of unusual lessons including American football, Morris dancing, dodgeball and a mini-marathon. Experts were invited to offer activities. These included a coach from Somerset Wyvern American Football team, army instructors and a zoom session with Club Chi, a Tai Chi instructor. Somerset MIND also visited the school to discuss the importance of mental health issues. The pupils were taught about their state of well-being, how they can cope with the normal stresses of life and how to learn to work productively. NHS nurses talked about the importance of healthy eating and nutrition. “The children have been really enjoying the week and all the brilliant activities on offer,” said Ellie Cullen from Priorswood Primary School. “They have had fantastic experiences which they otherwise may not have experienced. “It has also provided the children with the opportunity to connect with their community by meeting the members who run these activities within it and for that we are truly thankful.” The week ended with a school sports day run by the year 6 pupils. A spokesperson for The Redstart Learning Partnership added: “Our thanks go to the team at Priorswood and to the visitors that all made it such a successful week.” For the full report and pictures click the link below:  https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/19329012.pictures-health-week-priorswood-primary-school-taunton/Categories: 1 CategorySchool News

Posted on: 3/06/2021

Forest school launches at Ashill Primary School, Ilminster

FOREST school is now up and running for pupils in Ilminster. Kelly Napper and Pamela Mount offered forest school sessions over the Easter holidays and they are now being offered as part of the school day for students at Ashill Primary School. “All the children and adults had a fabulous time learning new skills and creating items from natural resources with one child saying ‘I want to start the day again’," said Pamela. "We have been amazed by the wonderful behaviour of all of the children and their enthusiasm and friendship. "The children enjoyed getting mucky - the muddier the better for some.” Children covered a wide range of activities, including using tools and hammers, building bug hotels, making weaving frames from scratch, learning how to tie knots, nail art and clay printing hedgehogs. Pam and Kelly will also be offering sessions over the summer holidays. A spokesperson for The Redstart Learning Partnership said: "We are absolutely delighted to see and hear all about the fantastic forest school developments at Ashill. It is such a wonderful opportunity for the children." For the full report and pictures click the link below: https://www.chardandilminsternews.co.uk/news/19293240.forest-school-launches-ashill-primary-school-ilminster/Categories: 1 CategorySchool News

Posted on: 12/05/2021

Ashill forest school goes from strength to strength

Ashill forest school goes from strength to strength Ashill Primary School (which is part of The Redstart Learning Partnership), plans to develop their forest school, led by Kelly Napper and Pamela Mount.  Both Kelly and Pam are training to be fully qualified forest school leaders and both are well on their way to achieve this goal. The forest school site has been significantly improved and developed.  Pam and Kelly were pleased to offer full day sessions over the Easter holidays and forest school is now offered as a regular part of the school day. The uptake of the sessions by the Ashill children have been amazing and they were extremely pleased and excited to have SOLD OUT during each session! Both Kelly and Pam were thrilled with the success of the sessions: Pam said: “All the children and adults had a fabulous time learning new skills and creating items from natural resources with one child saying ‘I want to start the day again’. We have been amazed by the wonderful behaviour of all of the children and their enthusiasm and friendship. The children enjoyed getting mucky, the muddier the better for some”. Ashill’s forest school also allows the children to cover a wide range of other activities such as using tools and hammers, building bug hotels, making weaving frames from scratch, learning how to tie knots, nail art and clay printing hedgehogs. Kelly and Pam have recently attended their second assessment day which included setting up camp, slack line walking, tool maintenance, pewter smelting, playing games, and cooking a 3 course meal on the fire and both have passed their tool safety assessment as well!  They cannot wait to share these skills with the children. Due to the continued success Pam and Kelly will be offering sessions over the summer holidays. A spoke person for The Redstart Learning Partnership said: “We are absolutely delighted to see and hear all about the fantastic forest school developments at Ashill. It is such a wonderful opportunity for the children to get out doors for some inspirational learning and opportunities for holistic growth.  Allowing the children to play, explore and take risks develops their confidence and self- esteem through hands-on, learner inspired experiences in a natural setting.  We are also delighted that Ashill is able to continue to offer this provision over the summer holidays and we offer our deepest thanks to the staff for their time and efforts.”Categories: 1 CategorySchool News

Posted on: 25/03/2021

Castle Primary School and Buckland St Mary pupils return to school

Thank you to the Chard and Ilminster for this great article. Castle Primary School and Buckland St Mary pupils return to school TWO primary schools in South Somerset welcomed back all their students last week. Staff at Buckland St Mary C of E Primary School, and Castle Primary School in Stoke-sub-Hamdon were “energised and excited” to welcome back the students. Gareth Nation, executive head of the schools, said: “I’d like to thank all of the staff, parents and children for their commitment to the children’s learning and wellbeing at this challenging time. “We have all experienced personal and professional challenges throughout this turbulent period but the shared vision and culture of both schools has prevailed.” Both schools have received support from The Redstart Learning Partnership and other agencies to ensure they keep running during the coronavirus pandemic. The children’s social, emotional and mental health have been at the forefront of their plans. Mrs Laura Liddell, assistant head of Castle Primary School, added: “We are so proud of the children, how they have adapted to, and in many cases, embraced remote learning. “The same can also be said of staff. “It’s fair to say it has been a learning curve for us all. “But, together, we bring many new strengths with us as we return to face-to-face teaching and learning.” Categories: 1 CategorySchool News

Posted on: 2/03/2021

Minerva Primary receives donated laptops

Locally donated business laptops, refurbished by local IT Volunteers group are greatly received by Minerva Primary Viridor Waste Management, whose HQ is based in Taunton, is excited to be working with SCHol.Tech’s volunteer technicians, to recycle 25 of its laptops to distribute to children from Minerva Primary School during the recent lockdown.  Championed by Viridor’s Head of IT Operation Andy Porter and IT Project Manager Jack Broughton, these laptops, which were earmarked for disposal due to a company upgrade, were given to SCHol.Tech, a brand-new community focussed volunteer-led company operating in Taunton, Wellington and Bridgwater.  SCHol.Tech’s 23-strong volunteer group of IT Technicians, drivers and administrators work to refurbish the machines with Windows 10 and fresh memory units. Viridor’s Andy and Jack said: “We release the machines to SCHol.Tech once all company information has been deleted.  Partnering with this great team means the laptops have the right software installed and that they reach the families that need them most.” Steve, Head of School of Minerva School was buoyant in response to this offer; “While we have received laptops under the Government scheme to support children who are learning at home, this is a short-term solution.  The chance for some families to have a laptop at home on a permanent basis is very welcome and we are grateful that a locally based company chose to identify Minerva and its community as a focus for this support.” Click the link below to hear the BBC Somerset interview:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p096ggfj      Categories: 1 CategorySchool News

Posted on: 1/02/2021

Priorswood Primary School Challenge their pupils during the recent lockdown

Priorswood Primary School Challenge their pupils during the recent lockdown Priorswood Primary School are determined to keep their children engaged in their learning during the recent national lockdown.  The school have been looking at different ways to entertain, motivate and encourage their pupils to stay busy and active.  One of Priorswoods popular initiatives has been arranged by Mrs Cullen, who has been setting PE and Forest School challenges each week using the online Dojo app, an app that connects their teachers, students and parents and allows them to communicate with one another.  During the first week back the school looked at Andy Goldsworthy, British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist who inspired art for forest school and last week they created their own stickmen inspired by the Julia Donaldson's story, ‘Stickman’.        Mrs Cullen has prepared challenge cards from the PE Hub which has three challenges and they can choose each week which challenge they would like to complete. The children are then asked to send in their pictures via dojo messenger showing themselves completing the activities.  Winners are chosen for each PE activity and a KS1 and KS2 winner is chosen for Forest School. To really motivate the children, winners are chosen for the best effort which is also announced on class DoJo and certificates and prizes are sent home as a special well done. The Redstart Learning Partnership are absolutely delighted to see the fantastic initiative Priorswood are offering their pupils at home and are delighted to see the children so engaged in the activities.  There are so many fabulous initiatives being offered by our other schools to our home educated pupils at this very difficult time.  It is great to see so many pupils engaging and enjoying the challenges.  Mrs Cullen from Priorswood Primary said “The children are really enjoying being able to continue their PE and Forest School activities whilst at home, I am loving seeing their smiley faces whilst completing the challenges and feel that being able to stay active and get outside is hugely beneficial for the children's mental health and wellbeing, Feedback from parents has been really positive and they feel their children are really enjoying the challenges which is fantastic”.   Categories: 1 CategorySchool News