A yearly visit from Dr Bike, bike races and bike washing are just a few of the activities pupils get up to. As part of Bike To School Week and Child Safety Week, Pilgrims’ head Mrs Webster discusses the importance of bike safety.

Teaching children about bike safety from an early age is crucial. Here at Pilgrims, we regularly talk about the highway code. As part of our Healthy Heart fortnight in the summer term, pupils take part in bike safety courses. Once they have learned how to fasten their helmet, stand up on their bike, use their brakes, cycle in a straight line and turn a corner safely, they are awarded with a bikeability certificate to take home.

As we are suitably located next to Bedford Park, many pupils choose to cycle to and from school with their friends in the summer. Bedford several bike routes the children can follow and these are displayed on our school gate.

Pupils who attend our holiday club get the opportunity to bring in their bikes and take part in bike races on the school playground. When the weather is nice, they also get to wash them too!

Last year we arranged for Dr Bike to visit the school for the first time. Also known as Mike Hanham of CycleTechUK, Dr Bike set up his mobile repair van in the school playground and worked hard at checking, tightening, greasing and re-positioning more than 40 bikes to make sure they were ready for the winter months. We now invite Dr Bike to visit us once a year so parents can benefit from his services and advice.

As Bike To School Week is June 3-7, we would like to encourage as many pupils, parents and staff as possible to swap the car for their bike and enjoy a ride to school and back.

Pilgrims parents are currently raising funds for a new bike stand for pupils and staff to use from September.

We like to teach the children useful skills and show them that riding a bike is fun and great exercise, while making them aware of the potential dangers. For more information about Bike To School Week, visit their website.

To support Mental Health Awareness Week (May 13-19), our headteacher, Mrs Webster, explains why she believes that the well-being of children is equally as important as their education

What the experts say

According to the Mental Health Foundation, mental health problems affect around one in 10 children and young people. Issues include depression, anxiety and conduct disorder and are often a response to something that is happening in their lives. The organisation’s figures also reveal that 70% of children who experience a mental health problem have not had appropriate interventions at an early age.

Children have more opportunity to access technology and social media from a younger age which can place extra stress or anxieties on them.

Good mental health allows them to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded adults.

How do we help Pilgrims children?

Children’s mental well-being is something the school takes very seriously and we already have several initiatives in place at Pilgrims to support this.

We have Jake, our Fox Red Labrador, who regularly plays on the school field, greets the children at the school gate and brings a smile to everyone’s face.  The children visit him throughout the day, telling him what they’ve been up to, and rewarding him with a little treat now and again!

We also work closely with The Mind Map, a Bedford based charity who focus on children’s emotional wellbeing and resilience and equip teachers with tools to promote emotional literacy and wellness. They have introduced the children to ‘Casey the Caterpillar’, a character the children can interact with and, in the classroom, the staff and children discuss a different feeling each week. There is also ‘Casey calm time’, giving the children the opportunity to reflect and relax.

It is crucial we encourage our children to share their feelings, particularly as mental health problems in young people are on the rise.

We recognise and understand that our children are in a vulnerable stage of their development and that’s why we work hard with our children to communicate their emotions and do what we can to help prevent mental health problems later in life.

To celebrate National Pet Month, our headteacher, Mrs Webster, explains why Jake, the Fox Red Labrador and Pilgrims’ resident pooch, is a very important member of the school.

Dogs in school can help to reduce stress in the classroom, it has been claimed.

Several recent news headlines have highlighted the benefits that pets can bring to your mental well-being, so it is no surprise they are becoming increasingly popular in schools across the UK.

Sir Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, said the soothing presence of a dog in a classroom is great for relieving stress and suggested every school in the UK should have one. And we think he is right.

Jake joined Pilgrims as a three-month-old puppy in February 2018 and has become a massive part of school life. He can regularly be found playing on the school field, digging up the occasional bucket and spade left in the sand-pit and chasing lost balls around the playground.

Jake even joins me at the school gate in the mornings to greet the children and their parents. We find this is a great way to welcome the pupils and he always brings a smile to everyone’s faces. It’s the best way to start the school day!

Should all schools have a well-being dog?

We strongly believe that the well-being of our pupils is equally as important as their education.

We have invested in a range of initiatives to help improve this and work closely with The Mind Map charity to offer a range of classroom-based initiatives and parenting workshops to support the children.  It is very important to encourage children to communicate their feelings, particularly as mental health issues in young people are on the rise.

With the advances in technology and the relentless pressures of social media, it is of paramount importance that children are supported from an early age to help deal with the stresses and anxieties of modern-day society.

Dogs can really help children to express themselves and the relationships that the children have built with Jake are heart-warming. Whether it’s our very little ones in Baby Room, through to our oldest children in Year 2, everyone looks forward to seeing Jake around the school, and they love telling him about their day at Pilgrims.

A new study has revealed the benefits of outdoor learning on a child’s academic performance. Our Headteacher, Jo Webster, explains why including outdoor activities in the school curriculum is important for a child’s learning and development.

According to a recent government survey (between 2013 and 2015) only 8% of children in England took part in school visits to the natural environment in an average month.

This means that, sadly, many children are missing out on the opportunity to learn about the outside world from a young age; something that, I believe, should be an integral part of every child’s pre-school and primary education.

In today’s society, we are surrounded by all things digital. Teaching our children about the natural environment and relevant issues such as recycling, saving water and global warming is incredibly important. The earlier they learn, the more aware they are about the world around them and this makes them more likely to make informed decisions later in their lives.

Research by King’s College in London revealed that children perform better in academic studies if they are able to learn in natural environments.

One of our school values is ‘curiosity’ and we work hard to create a stimulating and inspiring environment which allows our pupils to flourish; from growing fruit and vegetables, to going on sensory walks, from den-building and mini beast hunts on the field, to climbing trees – it all happens at Pilgrims!

We are also very fortunate to have our own pond and wildlife area where children can learn about plant life and pond creatures, using their research to develop their science and literacy skills. Children have been watching as the pond has filled up with frog spawn, the blue tits have returned and we hope to have some exciting video footage via our bird-box camera.

At Pilgrims we are also proud to be a Forest School.  The forest school approach uses the natural environment and outdoor facilities to offer children an alternative approach to learning. The curriculum is divided between indoor and outdoor learning and is designed to encourage imagination and creativity.

As the late spring/summer months approach, we will be taking our learning outside – who knows what we will discover!

Autumn is an exciting time of year. As we begin to look forward to Christmas time, the leaves on the trees are quickly changing from green to brown and the mornings and evenings are becoming colder and darker. It is a busy time here at Pilgrims, with the return of our Autumn Tea Party, our Little Pilgrims Autumn event and Harvest Festival.

Although the weather was not at its best, and the rain did arrive, our Autumn Tea Party was a huge success.  There were competitions for the children and their parents to take part in; make your own ‘Comedy Vegetable’, create a Mini Garden and, of course, our ‘Pilgrims Bake Off’ as well as circus skills to learn and tombola prizes to win. Well done to everyone who won a prize!  We hope to organise some late summer sunshine next year!

Our Harvest Festival will take place on Friday 5 October 2018 and all parents of Reception to Year 2 children are invited to attend.  We will find out why this time of year is so important and talk about the hard work the farmers throughout the country do to ensure we have food to eat.  Our parents are always extremely generous with their donations of food, flowers, plants, fruit and vegetables and these items will be available to purchase after the assembly, with all proceeds going to the school’s chosen charity for this year, The Mind Map.  Any remaining food will be donated to the local Food Bank.

Half term HOLIDAYS

October half term holidays are just around the corner, so it is the perfect time for some autumn activities. For the rainy days, there are lots of craft ideas to keep the whole family entertained. The autumn season is all about the colours red, yellow and orange, so why not do some painting? You could also tie in your crafts with Halloween and design some spooky-themed decorations for the house. What better way to impress the trick-or-treaters? When the weather is nice, long walks can be a great way to spend an autumn day. You could collect some leaves on your way and use them to create a leaf collage; the opportunities are endless!

We love the autumn term at Pilgrims as it’s the perfect excuse to wrap up warm, put our wellies on, and explore the great outdoors. We are so lucky to have a huge field with its own copse of trees, a willow tunnel, pond area and wildlife garden to explore so there’s lots for the children to discover, even at this time of year!

Why not take the opportunity to leave the car at home this term and walk to school? We are suitably located next to Bedford Park so it is the perfect opportunity to collect some leaves for your collage or spot some wildlife. Let us know what you find.

As we are approaching the end of the year and the weather is getting colder, finding things to do in the evenings and at weekends can be tricky and the go-to for many children is turning to screens for entertainment. Although this is fine for short periods of time, it is important that children are encouraged to express their creative side at home, as they do at school. So why not get messy doing some arts and crafts this weekend?

Christmas is only a matter of months away, so why not introduce creativity into your free-time by getting the whole family involved in making things? You could have a go at making your own Christmas cards this year! This is a great way to encourage everyone to express their creative side while spending some quality time together and creating something personalised. Family and friends will love them!

Making Christmas decorations is another fun way to get into the Christmas spirit and with so many different things to make, the opportunities are endless! Our favourite decorations are paper snowflakes. Quick and easy to make, they look great on your windows during December. You could also get creative in the kitchen and do some festive-themed baking. For some inspiration or assistance on how to make your favourite Christmassy crafts, this article contains some great ideas: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/christmas-crafts-for-kids/

If you’re not ready to get in the Christmas spirit just yet, there are plenty of other ways to encourage creativity. All you need is a few art supplies, a rainy afternoon and a lot of encouragement. Pretty much anything these days can be homemade, even gift tags and wrapping paper! Perfect for birthdays or other celebrations.

For the older children, creative writing is another fun idea. While their summer holiday adventures are still fresh in their minds, asking them to write about their trip to the seaside or walk in the forest is a great way to improve writing skills. Keeping a diary from an early age also encourages a love of writing.

Encouraging children to express their creativity from an early age is incredibly important for their development; creative activities provide a huge range of developmental benefits including language and communication, social development, emotional development and cognitive benefits. This is why, here at Pilgrims, we combine inspirational teaching with a creative curriculum to establish a lifelong love for learning.

We are always keen to see what you and your children have been busy making/creating in your free time; make sure you share your masterpieces with us on our Facebook page!