Policies:

PSHE 'Question-Based Model' approach to learning (Years 1-6)

Sex and Relationships information for parents

Support for Children, Parents and Carers

If you need immediate help (call 999) or are looking for advice, support or someone to talk to then please contact one the charities listed below. 

Our vision and intent for PSHE at Honiton Primary School:

At Honiton Primary School we are passionate about the Values that our school champions; all children have the right to be safe, the right to learn and the right to learn without disruption. The difference that a values-driven school makes goes beyond the school gates, making a positive impact on the whole community. Through our Cornerstones & RSHE Question-Based Curriculum (under the umbrella of our Growth Guides) we ensure that all our children leave us ready to be responsible young members of society who are...

Happier and Healthier..

By promoting the values of respect, dignity and non-discrimination, children’s self-esteem and wellbeing is boosted and they are less likely to suffer from stress and thus achieve more. A child who understands the importance of shared values and their own personal responsibilities understands how they and others should be treated and, consequently, their sense of self-worth is strengthened.

Able to assess risk and stay safe…

The notion of values gives children a powerful language to use to express themselves and to challenge the way they are treated. They are also able to challenge injustices for other children. At HPS, children and young people are empowered to access information that enables them to make informed decisions about their learning, health and wellbeing. This includes relationships and online safety.

Able to develop and sustain healthy relationships…

In a school that respects values children are treated as equals by their fellow pupils and by the adults in the school. Children are encouraged to use their voice on some of the decisions that affect them through the Student Council. Relationships, between all adults and children within the school are positive, based on mutual respect and the value of everyone’s opinion. 

Able to be responsible citizens who can function living in the wider world...

This builds their confidence to make informed decisions. They have a moral framework, based on equality and respect for all that lasts a lifetime, as they grow into engaged, responsible members of society. Children and adults develop an ethos and language of values, responsibility and respect around the school and local community. At every opportunity, our children are involved in raising awareness about social justice issues, both at home and abroad. They become ambassadors for our shared values and take part in campaigns and activities to help to bring about change to make the lives of others better.

Mental Health and Well-Being Support:

Children's Mental Health Week 1st-5th February 2021

What have you done to earn your place in The Hall of Fame?! Have you helped at home?, have you learnt about different cultures and traditions?, can you do something to help your local community? or can you help the environment? The world of good deeds has no limits....!

Pupil voice and solidarity with national and global fundraisers

As a school, we have decided to allow our families to choose where their donations go this year. 

Grow a tash for cash! - Supporting men's health

Spreading the word!

Values in action!

Two amazing things have have happened this week. One with a present pupil, one with a past pupil. This young a lady in Y5 was inspired by Captain Tom Moore and his work during the pandemic. Organising a family fundraiser herself, she raised and amazing amount of money for our frontline workers in the NHS. Those of you with a history at HPS will remember Jake and the Bonetta family. Recently, he stood as a Labour councillor for a local Honiton ward. We’d like to feel that his time as a child at HPS gave him a passion for ‘doing good things to help others’. Well done Jake, we are really proud of you.

Democracy - rights for all

Should a luxury resort be built in the Arctic? That was the question up for discussion yesterday afternoon in Year 6. The children used their incredible big writes to share points, arguments and thoughts about the topic. The Almighty Judge Hasler organised the debate and then set the final vote... The result was a huge majority voting NO! 

Year 3 - Graffiti, Is it Art or Vandalism?

This afternoon Warlocks class explored graffiti and held a class debate with regards to whether they thought graffiti was art or vandalism. We used democracy by voting and mutual respect by listening to one another’s opinions.  

We we had great fun and learnt so much about what the difference is as well as learning about prolific street artists such as Banksy. 

Pupil Voice

The Playground Project (Physical Development) has given our children a great experience of being involved in the process of getting a large project completed. From initial consulatation to playing on the equipment, they have been involved in the all of the stages along the way.

Position Statement:

The Design:

The Build:

Our very own Chloe from 5SB was the winner of the Honiton Christmas lights competition. She won a beautiful Christmas tree for her family and also won a £100 voucher for the school. We are going to use the voucher to buy a bird house and feeder. Thank you to Chloe and the Combe Garden Centre! 

Members of Year 6 were honoured for their hard work and passionate speeches by taking first place in a public speaking competition. They faced tough competition across the learning community. The speeches by all schools were fantastic. Our team showed the ability to compose compelling evidence based arguments yet speak from the heart. We will now enter the finals in Exeter in January. A huge achievement. 

Today saw the first sitting of the Student Council since last term. Mrs. Nic reinforced the important role of this group and stressed that the children were the ‘pupil voice’ for our school. Mrs. Buss (PSHE subject governor) and Mr. Lopez then asked the children to share some of their PSHE learning from their SOLE books. We shall be meeting again in a few weeks time where we shall be setting dates for the children to sit in on meetings where adults make decisions about the school and the school community. 

Culture and traditions

Luna New Year

It is Chinese New Year (also known as Luna New Year and spring festival) today, and to build knowledge about cultures that may be different to ours, we watched a CBeebies clip showing children celebrating their festival. We noticed that they were eating with chop sticks, so we had a go!

A big thank you to Miss Oatley for teaching Year 2 about her heritage and culture this afternoon. Year 2 have learnt about the history of wales, learnt the language, participated in lots of different St David’s day crafts and even sampled some Welsh cakes! What a lush afternoon - Again a big thanks to Miss Oatley. 

Year 3 - What is Salah?

As part of our RE, we having begun to learn about the Muslim faith and the 5 pillars of Islam. Today, we focused on the second pillar which was ‘Salah’ meaning prayer.  We discussed how Muslims pray 5 times a day and how they have to face the East, towards Mecca, when praying. We also discussed going to the mosque and what would be worn and why. Here are some of the children modelling the clothing. They learnt why some women covered their hair and faces as well why men wore the baggy clothing. 

Super Fundraisers!

Operation Rudolph!

Head over to the resource centre to see how the children danced their spots and tots off all in aid for Children in Need. We used our staggered lunch periods to ensure all year groups did their bit and we all had a lot of fun!
Thank you for all your contributions. 

Movember!

On behalf of all the staff at HPS I would just like to say 'thank-you' to all of our families who  have dug deep into their pockets to support our chosen charities this year. Even with the challenges that we have faced as a school community this term we still managed to raise over £700 to support Children in Need, Save the Children and Sports Relief!

Relationships Education (Primary)

Relationships Week

Prior to Relationships Week, all parents are invited to come and view the resources that each class will be using to cover their objectives. Our relationships units are progressive so the children build on their prior knowledge, make links and learn new startegies to stay stafe as they progress through the school.

From Nursery to Year Six, all of our children are taught age-appropriate lessons around safe relationships, health and puberty throughout the week.

Anti-Bullying:

One Kind Word!...

Kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. This is one of the reasons, that ‘One Kind Word’ has been chosen as the theme of Anti-Bullying Week taking place from 15 to 19th of November 2021.

Ask if someone’s OK. Say you’re sorry. Just say 'hey'! In a world that can sometimes feel like it’s filled with negativity, one kind word can provide a moment of hope. It can be a turning point. It can change someone’s perspective. It can change their day. It can change the course of a conversation and break the cycle of bullying.

Best of all, one kind word leads to another. Kindness fuels kindness. So from the playground to Parliament, and from our phones to our homes, together, our actions can fire a chain reaction that powers positivity. It starts with one kind word. It starts today.

Staying safe online:

Yesterday we started to explore and discuss internet safety. We discussed the importance of a safe and secure password, ways to stay safe online and what safety features can support us to stay safe. 

Looking after our environment

Look at this incredible bug hotel that one of our amazing Year 3s has been busy building and painting! A bug hotel is a great way to attract insects into your garden and help support biodiversity. I'm sure lots of insects will be checking in soon!

Our Eco Council tells us how and what we can recycle in our fruit and veg waste at HPS. Special thanks goes to AD from year 5, our fourth member of the council who directed and filmed the video. Watch the video in our Video Resource Centre on the school website. 

The Green Warriors received their new litter grabbers today. They are very excited to get started tomorrow, with Year 1 even wanting to take their new gadgets down to the woods!

The Green Warriors met today to discuss how we are getting on with composting and litter picking and any problems/improvements to be made. We then wrote letters to local garden centres, asking for a donation of tools, seeds and compost to help us in developing a school vegetable patch. The Green Warriors from Reception and Year 1 made posters for the compost bins around school. If any you have any unwanted seeds or garden tools at home, the Eco Council would be more than happy to put these to good use. 

We eat lots of fruit and vegetables in nursery so we have a lot of waste. Today the children helped to take our fruit waste to the compost bin, and it was lovely to see how they worked together to carry the heavy bin. 

Hi everyone, happy new year! Don't forget to drop in your empty, clean plastics into our big blue bin in the school carpark to help raise money for Dartmoor Zoo and the MIND mental health charity. Please refer to the poster to see what can be recycled. The date for the bin to be collected has been extended to February 28th, so we've got even more time to eat sweets for a good cause! 

Help yourself to free, cooking apples. These have been picked from our school apple trees by the Eco Council. They are in blue crates in the playground.

This young man has been busy again! He has been making home made bird feeders. The birds and squirrels aren't going hungry in his garden!

Year 2 were lucky enough to have the East Devon Beekeeper's Society visiting us in school. We were taught all about the importance of honey bees and shown how they work together in the hive to produce honey. We learnt about how they collect nectar and pollen; honey bees even perform a "waggle" dance to communicate to the other bees where to fly to collect the necatar! We saw a bee hive and learnt the different names of the hive; sampled some more local honey and some children even dressed up as a beekeeper!

People who help us

Today we met Nurse Anerie (Mrs. Doble’s sister!) She came and talked to Year 1 about her job and how she helps adults and children at Bristol hospital. Our children asked lots of great questions and learnt a lot about what the job of a nurse entails. In the afternoon we learnt about the mother of nursing, Florence Nightingale. Science, History and PSHE experiences all wrapped up in one visit. What an interesting visitor.

Emergency!

As part of our PSHE curriculum, Year 3 have been learning what to do during an emergency situation. We discussed medical emergencies and how we might deal with those in school as well as what to do if there was a fire.  We discussed the importance of knowing our address should something happen when we were at home as well as staying calm when on the phone to the emergency services. 

We then got to role play and practise making those important phone calls with our friends, we even made some videos using the green screen!!!

This afternoon, we were very lucky to be visited by the Devon Freewheelers who are a group of volunteers who offer a Blood Bike (amongst many other things) service to support the NHS. We learned so much and couldn't quite believe that this amazing service is provided for free! We'd like to say a big thank you to the guys who came along to see us! 

Today we had a visit from a real firefighter in our EYFS. Fire officer Warren came to answer our questions, talk to us about his job and to give us the chance to see and handle some real fire fighting equipment. He talked to us about fire safety and even inspired some boys and girls to think about becoming a fire fighter when they grow up!

Wow! Year 1 were so excited to see our special visitor police officer Phil. We even got to try on the uniform and go inside the back of his van. Thank you so much for coming to speak to us about being a real superhero and how you help us!

Many people think that grown-ups are the only people who can support our youngest learners at HPS. Not true! We are very proud of the older children who pop down to hear readers and offer support with SOLE skills. Peer-2-Peer support is powerful and heart-warming to observe. It also gives our children an aspiration for when then move into KS2. Win, Win!

Today we met a real local Postman! Paul has been delivering letters in Honiton for 16 years and taught us of lots of new things! He showed his van, parts of his uniform and the equipment he uses to collect and safely deliver our post.  He answered lots of our questions about the postal service and we loved learning more about his job and the Royal Mail service. 

They fought for our values and it is important that they are remembered and upheld.  They are the first thing you see as you enter our school.  We are proud of them, 75 years on and we will remember them.

At HPS we want to say a huge thank you to the staff at Balfour Beatty who came in and developed some of our outdoor learning spaces. They helped to transform Kumi's house into a much loved play space and the inner courtyard area with planters for our vegetable gardens! 

Children in Year 1 have been learning about the meaning behind the poppy worn for Remembrance Day and why it is so important to remember those for fought for our country all year round but especially tomorrow. 

The children were really interested in what Mr B was doing in our Nursery. They listened really carefully as he explained what he was doing and how the tools worked. We now know what a raw plug looks like 😀, and our story bags can hang on the wall! Thank you Mr B. 

Well if you are stuck in the snow, mud or a raging river Mr. Tribble and his truck will be who you want to see. Today he kindly took time out of his day to share his experiences with us. He also delivered our new Storytelling text, ‘Stuck’ by Oliver Jeffers. We can’t wait for the week ahead to learn more about the people who can help us when we have a problem. Thank you Mr. Tribble.

We were very lucky today as a brass band visited our school. The children enjoyed watching, and listening to them playing Christmas songs!

Supporting the local community...

Community Superstars!

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. 

Check out the pictures below and keep an eye on BBC Spotlight on Thursday 11th (fingers crossed!) to see a little bit more of us..! 

This afternoon, Year 4 were invited to come and sing at St Paul’s Church for the Christmas Tree Festival.  They sang four songs and sounded absolutely brilliant. They knew all the words and smiled all the way through. A big thank you to all the parents who came to support the children.  It was commented on by the congregation how polite, courteous and how good their manners were, a credit to all you parents!

This afternoon, Year 6 had some very special visitors. We were joined by some lovely ladies from the Bluebird Care Home. They came in to look at our World War II learning, shared some of their own experiences and also played some games with us. We had a wonderful afternoon; there were smiles on the faces of all! 

On Sunday, this young man from Year 2 made some hot cross buns and kindly left some on an elderly neighbours door step as she will be alone this Easter. What an amazing, kind gesture to do at this uncertain time. I am sure your neighbour absolutely loved receiving them. I am so proud. Keep being amazing Year 2!

Stanhope House, in Honiton, sent over some lovely photos of their residents receiving and looking at all the lovely letters, cards, stories and pictures that you guys in Year 4 have been posting.  They have absolutely LOVED receiving them and have displayed each and every one in the corridor and lounge for to brighten up the day!

Year 6 (in school children) have buddied up with Honiton Manor Care Home; we started by writing letters to the residents at the beginning of this lockdown and each child now has their own penpal! We have received replies and recently written back. We have also sent copies of our stories and made cushions for the residents too! 

We have called this 'Operation Rainbow'! The kids are LOVING it and it seems to be making a real difference to the residents too. This is something we plan to continue with as much as possible. 

Sharing kindness and smiles is important all the time, but especially so at the moment, and Year 5 have extended their care in kind, thoughtful and well-written letters to the residents of Abbeyfield Care Home. These letters and the accompanying pictures are now proudly displayed in the resident's lounge. All of the residents have said how cheerful it looks and how each one has brought a smile to their faces. A wonderful act of kindness has certainly gone a long way in a very difficult time. Well done Year 5.

HPS, you have done it again! We only have half of our school population in but look at how much we have managed to collect for the Food Bank! This is amazing! Thank you so much for all of your generosity; it will make such a difference to our local families. A further thank you to the staff at Strata Solutions and the staff at East Devon District Council for supporting our collection again this year. We received an extra eleven boxes full to the brim with donations which is simply brilliant. Merry Christmas to all!

As you know, we have some wonderful children in school at the minute because their mums and dads are key workers helping to keep us all well and safe. These children (and Mr Watson!) were set a task of creating some rainbows for the office windows at East Devon District Council just along the road from us. We know our children are extremely creative but we were quite simply WOWED with the amazing pieces they created. They are so bright and colourful and really do make you smile. Have a look at the pictures to see them proudly on display in the council doors and windows. The team there were delighted with the artwork and we even received a thank you letter from the Chief Executive telling us just how impressed he was! HPS children, you're the best! 

Wow Year 2, I am one very proud teacher! This week I have received two lovely emails from some very proud families. This week two member of Goblins class have been bettering their environment by litter picking. 

''On all our walks he is horrified by the amount of litter around often muttering about ‘how people should care more about our world, how they are polluting it and don’t they know it affects them too’. We had to have a chat to about how really he should have gloves due to germs, especially at the moment. On Father’s Day we were in a car park about to walk the coast path when he tears off a page of newspaper from the car and walks across the car park to go and pick up the empty bottles people have left! After a full sweep of the car park we were finally allowed to go on our walk!''

''We have also been landscaping our garden and he has been helping and deciding what can be recycled and what needs to go in the skip. We also discussed what happens to the rubble etc that goes in the skip.'' 

It is lovely to see the next generation taking up the baton and showing the world how it's done! You should both be SO proud of yourself! 

Miss Emery! :) 

Supporting community health - The defibrillator fundraiser

Dear All,

I have to admit that having seen pounds and pennies drifting and jangling into the buckets this morning, I thought we would have a good total towards our defibrillator. What I wasn't expecting was the amazing news from Mrs Jones, that £713.66 had been raised!!!!

What an achievement and what a way to end a great day.

Thank you so, so much for investing in something that literally could be a life saver.

Many, many thanks on behalf of the school and the wider community,

Best wishes

Mr T

Dear Mr Tribble and Miss Wright,

I thought you may like to know that Ollie actually put £5 from his own pocket money towards the defibrillator fund (on top of our £2). He realised how important it was and felt like he needed to ensure it was possible to get this device to save a life, knowing it could be anyone of us at school or in the community that might need it.

He really feels like he belongs in HPS and as such is so keen to do his part and look after it. He can sometimes be seen after club with a litter picker going around the playground!!

Thank you for helping us to raise an amazing future generation!

Sarah Philpot

Dear Mrs Philpot,

What wonderful news but pleasantly not a surprise. Ollie is such a wonderful boy, and he comes from a family that has always appreciated and supported the school, and staf,f through some very tough times.

As you can see, I have included many key teachers in this reply as I think the closing line makes everything that they are striving for worthwhile - we are working on an amazing future generation - so that they have an amazing future.

Thank you again, and I think that we can now purchase the defibrillator which is literally a dream come true.

Best wishes,

Mr Tribble and the HPS Team

Hello

Hope you've all had a wonderful half term.

We haven't been able to complete the skipping challenge because the children have been really immersed in a charity event they decided they wanted to do. Its all culminated in a big sleep (in) event tonight (19th Feb) for Exeter YMCA to help the homeless locally.

The children have joined in with all the activities set for the week and they have also raised £100 for the charity which they are super chuffed about.

They wanted me to send you all a photo of them 'camped out' because they are so excited 😁

Take Care.

This morning, a decorated bunch of year 4, 5 and 6 children headed out into the cold and made their way to the Kings Day Hospice Centre. These children have given up their lunchtimes for the last few weeks in order to put together a mini Christmas Concert - complete with festive songs and readings - for the staff and residents there. The children performed wonderfully and brought a Christmas smile to the faces of their audience. This small touch reminded us just how important it is to spend time with the ones we love at this time of year. Well done to all involved! 

Today we went to a beach that we heard is well know for having lots of rubbish washed up. It’s mainly old fishing pots and plastic containers. But alone side there’s a lot of other plastic!! So we went and collected a lot of this plastic, rope and other bits and brought them home to recycle! Teddy’s really mindful of rubbish in the sea. He’s a big water baby and we can wait to get back in when in warms up! But for now we will keep to cleaning our beaches!

Wow! This young lady has been hard at work designing a national park for our town. I can imagine it would be very peaceful sat by the lake in the sunshine. She has been creative with resources, she has used leaves, small stones, coloured paper, egg holders & tissue paper! Well done! 

Helping at home - cooking skills!

What are our Values?

Democracy

The Rule of Law

Liberty (freedom)

Respect

Respect for the Environment:

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs

Special Events and Celebrations:

VE Day - Friday 8th May 2020

 Friday the 8th May is the 75th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) Were it not for fighting the outbreak of Covid - 19, many people would be marking the anniversary with school assemblies, history and citizenship lessons. Instead, gatherings cannot take place and we find ourselves setting work from home. Citizenship clearly plays an important role in this Annniversary, with its focus on teaching about values, equalities, rights, and community action. Below you will find some activities that will help you learn about this special day. Remember to send us any work that you complete so we can showcase it on the school website! (email address can be found on your child's year group page)

Mental Health Week 2020:

The week beginning, 18-5-2020, is Schools Mental Health Week across the UK. Have a go at the 'Kindness-Calendar' activity in the link below.

I-Moves! Videos designed to promote physical activity and a positive mindset.

C19-Lockdown Resources and Support Materials:

UNICEF Rights Respecting Lockdown Challenges

BBC TEACH: PSHE  Key Stage 1&2

Use this information to support your child with the learning in the folders below.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Resources:

Black History Resources