In this section, you will find a rich and diverse folder of activities that our children (and their families) particiapte in to support their wellbeing and mental health. We hope it inspires you to focus on your wellbeing as well...

Wellbeing - Learning through play

These twins in Reception enjoyed learning outdoors as part of their remote learning challenges, their mum commented:

'We also really enjoyed our maths activity using jugs and our fountain factory in the garden.'

Wellbeing - Connecting with nature

'She loves her gardening and is so excited that her seeds are growing!'

And so speaks this young ladie's mum about a home-hobby that helps her connect with nature, learn more about the environment whilst also supporting her mental health and wellbeing! 

You are never to young to become ‘emotionally literate’ This week, using the story, Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival; we are exploring our emotions and feelings in different ways. We are also using the ‘Worry Monsters’ to understand what body language we need to look out for depending on the emotions we are feeling. Best of all, we are thinking about how we could help turn our friend’s ‘angry’ monster into a ‘happy’ monster (should the need arise) by using different techniques! We are also sharing stories all week that are to do with emotions. Happy children = intelligent children 💥

Year 6 have had a very exciting morning. We worked with Mrs Nicholas, Mr Tribble, Mrs Buss and some of the staff at Tesco to create a whopping 182 crates full to the brim with food and household products for families in our local community. The children were exceptional showing collaboration and such determination throughout. The packing and checking ran like clockwork thanks to the children's military precision! Not only did we feel like we were giving something back, but we also reminded ourselves of how amazing it feels to help others. 

We could not be more proud of the truly wonderful role models in our year group. 

Wow! What a fantastic afternoon we have had! There’s been mud stews, perfect potions, dynamic dens, dirty digging, bug exploration, hiding and seeking, happy- hammocking and SO MUCH MORE!

The children were all grinning from ear to ear as they ran around, climbed and explored the woods area today with their friends in the cold and drizzly weather. It was so wonderful to see children having so much fun and playing after everything that’s been going on!  We can’t wait to go down there again soon. 

This afternoon, Year 6 channelled their inner explorer and faced 3 Antarctica challenges: Latitude & Longitude Location Station, Shackleton’s Endurance Assault Course and Sledge Strength Training. Collaboration, determination, contribution, mediation and inclusion were all the skills that we needed to survive and achieve in this inhospitable environment! Everyone proved themselves to be capable of joining Shackleton’s crew! And you can see from the pictures that a great deal of fun was had along the way 😃 

Thank you to Beccy and Amy for spreading the word on the parent's notice board!

Dear Mr Tribble and the whole school team,

We wanted to write to you and all the staff to say a big thank you for all you have done over the last year.

We are particularly grateful for the way that you managed the last lockdown, at very short notice. The home schooling was supportive and likewise the provision for key worker children. The pandemic and the Governments responses have obviously meant recurrent change and adaptation. Responding to deliver what has and continues to be asked of you must take a lot of time and effort to achieve, so thank you to the whole team who make it happen. 

Also, since the children have been back there are a few changes which they have loved and come home raving about. W. (yr 3) has loved going to the woods and has come home full of stories about it (rare for him to chat so much about his day!) and it's great to see this fab resource being updated and used. H. (yr 6) also had a fantastic day last week with the outdoor activities linked to their frozen kingdom topic mimicking arctic exploration. It must have taken some imagination, effort and planning to enable this so thank you, it was really enjoyed.

The multiple outdoor climbing apparatus is also a great addition!

It's clear that you care for the welfare as well as the education of the children - so thanks again!

Self-Organised Learners

This photo epitomises our vision for SOLE in EYFS and throughout HPS. This group of girls are applying; social skills, maths skills, creative skills, problem-solving skills, fine motor skills,  artistic skills and imagination. Notice the absence of an adult. Overtime, this is what we want to achieve. Children who are taught knowledge and skills and are then confident enough to apply these through enabling and supportive environments. ❤️

The Golden Mile!

Since we have returned from the Easter break the KS2 children have been able to enjoy the fine weather we have been having and get out and complete some miles towards their own individual totals with some already reaching landmarks.

Collaboration!

Our new GROWTH GUIDE focus in Year 6 is collaboration. 

- How do we make sure we are contributing?

- Can we solve problems together?

- Can I offer and receive advice?

- Am I able to show empathy?

- Can I trust and be trusted by my classmates?

These were all put to the test this afternoon in our collaboration challenge where teams of pupils had to act as the guided, navigators or the supporting hands to guide their classmates around our Woods obstacles. 

Woods picnic...

Last week the children made their own sandwiches, spreading the butter and jam and then wrapping them up, and took them to the woods for a picnic with their friends! Roll on summer 🌞

Connecting...

Hippos Holiday Club!

Come and have fun with Mr Watson and the team this half term. We are offering all our normal favourite activities  for the children to enjoy.

Taking our learning outdoors!

Road Trip USA willow search - there were hidden states in the willows and we worked in groups to find them all. It was so lovely to be outside, learning and enjoying our school grounds :) 

Year 5 Intra Class Athletics Competition

What a fantastic morning the year 5’s had! 

The weather was kind and the children had a great time competing against each other to score as many points for their class as possible. It was a joy to see the competitive nature of the children but just was joyful was the sportsmanship on show! Both very important qualities that we try and nurture in our children,The children, ran, threw and jumped as fast, far and high as they could, finishing with the highly anticipated relay.

Now, Miss Tonna’s class game out on top in the sprint and relay, but Mrs Bellamy’s class edged the High Jump and Howler throw all totalling to a very close score!

Drum Roll..........

Mrs Bellamy's class won it 445 points to 408!

A huge well done to the children, it really was a fun morning and we certainly have some budding athletes in our presence.

The Creative Cabin!

Year 1 had an amazing day doing Art and DT! We were visited by the Creative Cabin (from Thelma Hulbert gallery) who introduced us to Richard Long and his artwork. Sometimes it is very neat patterns made from finger prints and other times it is messy splashes. We got to use clay to try to make our own patterns inspired by him - some neat and some messy! We also went on a senses hunt and we found natural things in all kinds of different colours on the school field. It’s not actually all green! As well as our amazing workshop, we also made our own carnival headdresses ready to wear for our Rio dance and song.

Darwin's Delights!

Year 6 enjoyed a fantastic day as we launched our topic Darwin’s Delights. We became web designers as we used Google Sites to create our own Darwin web pages. Following this, we worked with visiting artists from the Double Elephant print workshop and the Thelma Humber Gallery as we created prints using a variety of methods inspired by nature’s textures and patterns.

Reading in the garden!

As part of our new English sequence, Year 3 are going to be exploring the text: The Day the Crayons Quit. Today was the day we got to listen to it for the first time!  As it was a lovely sunny day, we took ourselves out to the garden to listen and enjoy in a calming space. 

We we had great fun listening to the funny letters from the crayons and really thought about our likes, dislikes, puzzles and patterns that we noticed from the text!

Take a walk on the wild side!

We had great fun today completing a mini-beast orienteering challenge with our friends across the year group. Searching for clues about classification, we did a bug huntin the woods, drawing a wide range of insects and using a classification key to help us.

Minibeast hunt in the courtyard garden!

Year 5 spent their afternoon hunting for minibeasts! They collaborated with their group to sort bugs into categories, using classification keys. It was wonderfully cool to be under the trees, on a hot, sunny day. 😊 Ask your minibeast detectives to tell you about the different types of minibeasts they found.

Using our Growth Guides!

In maths today, we applied one of our acorns from our Growth Guide! We collaborated well in order to complete a set of number sentences. The children worked fantastically in pairs and really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss their workings out with a partner. 

Point and shoot!

WOW! Year 3 really impressed me this afternoon during our digital art lesson. We decided that we would explore photography as an art form and represent two things:

Our school in the current climate

The outside area the school offers

The children worked in pairs or trios to go around out site and take photos that inspired them. They worked on the composition of their subject and really thought about the angles that the photos were taken from. They then got to go back and edit the images to really present their message. I am honestly blown away with the results!  It looks like we have had professional photographers in; clearly some children have a calling for this profession!

Keep learning - hard work earns its rewards!

Last night, I got an email from Miss Kemp and I thought it had news that Year 3 would want to hear as she taught Wizard Class and also did some remote learning for all of Year 3.

She said: 

'I just thought I would email and tell you that I got the job near my home and will be starting as a year 3 teacher in September! I cannot wait to have my own class and I am taking some tricks and ideas that I have learnt from you with me, so THANK YOU!'

How great that Year 3 got to be part of the journey of this wonderful new teacher! Congratulations Miss Kemp.

The Growth Guide - Collaboration!

Today we became budding photographers! We focussed on The Growth Guide skill of "Collaboration" and worked well together to think about the composition of our photographs. As you can see here, we had to be creative in how to get more interesting angles of the subjects of our pictures and the support of our peers was essential for this! 

Connect -  One big, school family 

Dartmoor - Taking our learning into the wild!

We were so impressed with the resilience, team spirit ... and flexibility of our Year 6s today as we clambered, scrambled and hiked our way around Dartmoor and the surrounding area. A fantastic day. Well done everyone!

Connect - The Sandpit

Nursery children are really enjoying our new sandpit in the outdoor environment. They have been exploring how the dry sand feels on their feet, and how we can build better castles if the sand is wet. The children are also keen to help sweep up the sand, which will develop their physical skills as well as giving them a feeling of responsibility. 

Connect - Year 6 - Community Stars!

Some of our Year 6 children have spent the last six months writing letters back and forth with the residents at Honiton Manor Care Home. The children have developed really good relationships with each other, often sending gifts to their penpals too. Today, we sent off our final letters with party bags for each resident and a hamper to be enjoyed. This has been a wonderful experience for both Year 6 and the residents alike. Community spirit at its best. 

Keep Learning - Year 6 - Intra-tchoukball Tournament

After working hard this half term on developing their spacing, strategy and tactical game play, year 6 put this all in to practice during their intra-tchoukball competition. We saw terrific teamwork, marvellous movement across the court and consistent collaboration throughout every game and every team. Congratulations to all competitors! 👏🏻😁

Keep Learning - Doodle Maths reward winners!

As you may know, 4CE won the termly doodle challenge. As a class treat we wore non uniform today. A big well done Year 4 for all the doodling. 😄

Wellbeing Ambassadors!

We are excited to announce the formation of this new, Year 6, student body! Our Wellbeing Ambassadors are tasked with promoting the NHS 'Ten-a-Day for Mental Health' agenda across the school. For our first meeting, we explored what the ten-a-day are and why they are important. We then discussed what our first impact-project should be. The group decided they would like to promote the benifits of keeping hydrated at school. Watch this space for their campaign and associated resources they design to share with the school community.

Ten-a-Day: Staying hydrated!

K from Year 6 produced this power-point to inform the children in her Year 2 link-class of the importance of staying hydrated.