Well done to our children who completed the Make It Move Mechanism DT Challenge at William Byrd Primary School last week. They were wonderful and their behaviour was exceptional. It was a joy to see the children transferring and consolidating their learning and  DT skills into practice to design and make their own toy buggy. We will be repeating the experience next year. Like our student, Anastasia said "I was the best day ever".

Year 1 had an unforgettable experience this week when Animals UK visited and brought along some incredible animal friends. The children were amazed to meet a meerkat, a chameleon, and even a beautiful owl up close. They had the chance to hold and gently feel some of the animals, which made the learning even more exciting. The biggest surprise of all was the snake — it was absolutely huge, and the children were fascinated by its size and smooth scales. It was a brilliant hands‑on session that sparked so much curiosity and confidence.

This week, the Reception children enjoyed an exciting interactive dinosaur workshop as part of their dinosaur topic.

During the workshop, the children learnt fascinating facts about how dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. They took part in a variety of hands-on activities, including searching for dinosaur fossils and learning how to identify a range of different dinosaur species. The interactive nature of the session encouraged the children to ask lots of questions and share their knowledge about dinosaurs. One of the highlights of the workshop, was when the children had the opportunity to meet a model baby T-Rex called ‘Poppy’ up close. There were lots of excited faces as the dinosaur moved and roared.

As part of British Science Week, we were lucky to take part in some fantastic science workshops. The children loved the amazing experiments — especially becoming a human circuit and discovering how electricity flows when a circuit is complete. Children loved seeing the elephant toothpaste experiment bubble up too! There was so much curiosity, teamwork, and excitement as the children asked questions, made predictions, and explored the science behind what they saw. It was a memorable experience for the children at Minet!

Last week, Nursery enjoyed a lovely walk to Minet Country Park. On our way, the children spotted lots of road signs and even some road works. We talked about what the different signs mean and practised walking safely together. At the park, we looked at the beautiful blooming plants and trees and talked about the signs of spring. Go to the Nursery 3/4s page to see more photographs - click here to access.

Our teachers got into the spirit by dressing up as their favourite book characters… can you guess who they have came as?

Parents also joined the celebrations by coming in to read stories with their children, which was a wonderful way to share the joy of reading and spend quality time together. In addition, our teachers visited other classes to read stories to different groups of children, spreading the magic of books throughout the school.

Year 1 were treated to a very special author visit from Rachael Mortimer, who read her stories and inspired the children with her creativity. Reception enjoyed a Freshwater Theatre Story Hunt, exploring stories in a fun, interactive way.

Meanwhile, Key Stage 1 took part in exciting carousel activities, visiting different classes to complete engaging activities based on popular books.

It was a truly memorable day filled with imagination, creativity, and a love of reading. A big thank you to everyone who took part and helped make World Book Day so special!

We were thrilled to welcome Rachael Mortimer to visit our Year 1 children as part of World Book Day! The children loved hearing her stories and getting inspired by her books.

Our Year 1 pupils recently took part in Pedestrian Training, where they learned all about staying safe near roads. The children explored important road safety rules, including how to stop, look, and listen before crossing.

A highlight of the session was the road safety song, which the children really enjoyed singing along to while learning how to keep themselves safe.

The classes had a great time taking part in the activities and are already looking forward to next year, when they will build on what they have learned and practise their skills outside in real-life situations.