It’s the start of the summer term here at Pilgrims and there is an exciting selection of new topics and activities taking place among all year groups. Pilgrims’ Headteacher, Mrs Webster, explains more about what each year group are going to be up to.
Coming back from the Easter holidays, we have lots of interesting things planned for this term – from learning about “Animal Tales”, to exploring different modes of transport, and lots of exciting trips planned for every year group!
Reception
The children’s summer term topic is “Animal Tales”. This topic involves the children learning about different animals from around the world.
They will be visiting Woburn Safari Park as part of their learning journey, which is home to many endangered and exotic animals. There they will be able to learn first-hand how the animals, such as lions, tigers, rhinos and giraffes, live.
Year 1
The topic for Year 1 this term is “On the Move”. There are lots of different modes of transport to learn about!
Children will explore the Pilgrims’ race for flight, discover how trains have transformed through time and explore different types of cars and bikes. They will learn about the book “Mrs Armitage on Wheels” by Quentin Blake, which is set to come to life with a Pilgrims’ cycle safety session, where the children will build their knowledge of road safety.
The children will also enjoy a trip to Stoke Bruerne where they will go on a canal boat ride! They will be learning about Stoke Bruerne and canal art in lessons this term, so the trip will give them first-hand experience of exploring a new mode of transport.
They will also visit the canal museum, where they will use their research skills to investigate artefacts in the museum.
By the end of this term, some questions we hope to answer are how have bikes changed through history? What do we use transport for? Who used/uses canals? And why are trains important?
Year 2
Year 2 are also set for an exciting start to the summer term, with a three-day residential trip to Hindleap Warren. On the trip they’ll experience lots of thrilling outdoor adventure activities and take part in teambuilding tasks like den building – as well as jumping into muddy pools!
These fun and engaging activities will help Year 2 build their communication, physical skills and mental agility while learning about different team dynamics and leadership styles.
Welcome everyone to the summer term at Pilgrims – we have a host of fun activities taking place and lots of new things to learn! We can’t wait.
At Pilgrims we know how important it is to serve up a healthy lunch to keep the children energised for the whole school day. This International School Meals Day our catering manager, Mrs Bhogal, shares how she ensures the children eat healthily while they are in school.
As well as offering activities and exercise to ensure the children at Pilgrims live a healthy balanced lifestyle, we also provide healthy meals and snacks. My catering team are always looking for fun ways to make sure that the children have a nutritious, balanced diet, while making meals as delicious as possible.
All of the food we serve at Pilgrims is prepared fresh and from scratch each day so we can closely monitor what is going into the children’s food. This means that when we bake cakes and tray bakes, we can reduce the amount of sugar that recipes recommend, while making sure they still taste great.
We also add gojo berries into our flapjacks and chia seeds into our biscuits to give the children that extra health boost!
Instead of adding extra salt to the meals, I always add herbs instead. They add more flavour and are much healthier than added salt. We also oven-bake all of our sausages, cod fillet fish fingers and chicken fillet nuggets rather than fry them and we freshly steam our vegetables to ensure they retain their goodness and nutrition.
We encourage the children to ensure they eat their five-a-day every day by offering fresh fruit all day long so children can choose it for breakfast, snack time, lunch time, after school clubs or at Owls.
It is lovely to see the children learn and grow and it is great to watch their eating habits change as they move through the school. I thoroughly enjoy seeing how keen the children are to try new flavours and they get very excited when they see their favourite dishes on the menu. While our menus are changed termly, on a two-weekly cycle, you can download some sample menus and some of my favourite recipes to try at home on our What’s for Lunch page.
In an ever-changing world, supporting children’s mental health has never been so important. To mark Children’s Mental Health Week, Mrs Morales, our Pastoral and SEND Coordinator, discusses this year’s theme – Growing Together.
One in six children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem and many more face other mental health challenges. This is why at Pilgrims, the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils is just as important as their education.
The theme for this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week, Growing Together, is about growing both physically and emotionally as well as finding ways to help each other grow. In school this week we will be encouraging the children and staff to consider how they have grown and how they can help others to grow.
At Pilgrims we work closely with Making Me, a charity which provides our school with invaluable help and support throughout the year. The charity is passionate about children’s mental health and at Pilgrims we follow their emotional resilience programme.
The initiatives we work on with ‘Making Me’ encourage the children to talk about their feelings. We also work alongside all of the teachers and staff within school to ensure we are providing the correct support to those who need it and we perform regular assemblies and workshops to keep parents up to date.
Recently, our Deputy Headteacher, Mrs Quince, gave two assemblies on Growth Mindset using the school’s ‘Learning Superheroes’ – Captain Resilience and the Reciprocity Ranger. These characters form part of the children’s wellbeing programme in school. Mrs Quince talked to the children about being resilient, staying positive and co-operating with others. In class, these superhero characters are a visual support for the children as they try out and learn new skills.
This week, I will also be delivering an assembly to discuss what growing physically and emotionally means and how we all need support to help us keep growing, especially when things get tough.
On Friday 11 February, the children and staff are invited to come in to school dressed in Kipsy’s colourful garden colours and donate £1, raising funds for the ‘Making Me’ charity.
If you’d like to find out more about the work the ‘Making Me’ charity do to support children’s mental health, please use the link above. Alternatively, if you have any other questions about Pilgrims School, please call us on 01234 369555.
The power of a story goes far beyond the classroom in which it’s told. To mark National Storytelling Week, Mrs Webster, Headteacher at Pilgrims School, explores the importance of reading and role playing for children.
Storytelling has been around forever! Historically, it was a way to record people’s triumphs as well as to pass time. However, now it’s an excellent resource to entertain, expand our imagination and teach.
As teachers, we love helping our pupils grow their minds and use their imagination. That’s why we are keen to encourage children to take part in National Storytelling Week. Reading does not have to be enjoyed quietly; it can be made much more enjoyable by incorporating role play. By acting out the story they are telling, children can build their imagination and use it to tell their own stories.
Not only that, but interactive storytelling will also help them build confidence and even inspire their peers. Evidence shows there are extensive benefits to storytelling for children, including learning about their own cultural roots and the roots of other’s. Additionally, it offers insights into different life experiences, it encourages cooperation between students and enhances listening skills. Importantly, it also increases children’s willingness to communicate their thoughts and feelings.
All of the benefits mentioned contribute greatly to the growth of young people. The things they learn through storytelling do not stay in the classroom, they can be incredibly useful in personal and adult life.
Stories offer magical experiences full of wonder. While we inspire our pupils to take part in National Storytelling Week, storytelling is something that we encourage all year round.
At Pilgrims School, our dedicated and highly qualified staff strive to engage and inspire children to unearth their individual interests and talents. To find out more, visit our welcome page.
At Pilgrims, we are feeling festive! Santa has been to visit, we have indulged in Christmas lunch and we have been singing lots of carols. Here, Mrs Webster, Headteacher at Pilgrims School, shares some fun and festive activities that will keep the Christmas spirit going at home throughout the holidays.
We all love Christmas and there are so many themed activities for the children to do during the Christmas break that will keep them learning. Help them to stay in the festive spirit with these home activities and days out this holiday.
Home activities
If you haven’t already put your tree up, why not decorate it together as a family? When it’s up, you can help your children to make their own tree decorations, such as lollipop stick snowflakes, twig reindeer ornaments or cinnamon stick trees.
While there’s always the traditional paper chain decorations to put up around the house, children can also create their own artwork. For example, they could make a thumbprint Christmas tree using paint or ink, cut out and put together a handprint wreath or paint their feet to create a mistletoes keepsake.
Paper plates create endless opportunities for kids crafts. The children could make a paper plate Santa Claus, a paper plate ornament or even paper plate Christmas masks!
Christmas is also the perfect time to do some cooking and baking at home. In addition to the traditional Christmas cake and Yule logs, why not try Mrs Bhogal’s Christmas shortbread recipe?
Days out in and around Bedford
When you are finishing off your Christmas shopping at the Harpur Centre, make sure you visit Santa in his Grotto, where you will receive a special gift and can even buy a photo with the big man himself! Prices start from £4.
If your child is an animal fanatic, Woburn Safari Park residents will be enjoying some festive treats! Younger children can enjoy creating their very own Christmas crafts, while the older children will be making special Christmas-themed enrichment for some of the animals at the park.
We all love a Pantomime at Christmas, (oh yes we do!) and Bedford Corn Exchange are putting on Beauty and the Beast this year! Book your tickets for a fun, festive treat.
We would love to see what you get up to over Christmas, so why not share your ideas and pictures with our closed Facebook group? Or, if you are happy to have your photos shared, send them to our public Facebook and Twitter pages.
So, from all of us at Pilgrims, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
It’s World Kindness Day – a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other. Here, Mrs Webster explains why kindness is one of our core values at Pilgrims and how compassion for others is what connects us all together.
Here at Pilgrims, we treat everybody in a kind, compassionate, caring and supportive way so that everybody feels happy and safe.
Evidence shows that helping others and showing kindness not only improves someone else’s day, but can also benefit our own mental health and wellbeing. For example, carrying out a simple act of kindness can reduce stress levels and improve mood, self-esteem and happiness.
World Kindness Day aims to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power of kindness. Kindness allows us to connect with other people and build meaningful relationships.
As adults and role models in the children’s lives we can nurture kindness. When we show Pilgrims pupils what it looks and feels like to be kind, they will copy our behaviour. Then when the children show kindness, we should praise and encourage this behaviour to show the children that we notice and appreciate them being kind to others.
This World Kindness Day, we are encouraging all our families to go out of their way to be kind to others. Celebrate by pledging to do at least one intentional act of kindness today that benefits someone else.
If you are looking for ways that you and your children can share kindness, here are some ideas I have come up with:
- Check in with a friend, family member or neighbour – you could even make some cakes to take for them!
- Post a card or picture to someone who lives far away
- Help at home with the household chores
- Smile and say hello to people you walk past – it doesn’t happen often enough!
- Hold the door open for the next person – it may not sound a little thing but it has a big impact
- Offer a helping hand to a friend
Kindness is contagious. So, when you carry out an act of kindness, remember that thoughtful gesture is likely to be passed on to another!
Baking has many educational benefits for children. To mark National Baking Week, our Year 1 Teacher and After School Cookery Club leader, Mrs Russell explains why it is such a useful skill to learn.
Baking provides lots of great learning opportunities for children. Not only is it a life skill that they will benefit from as they grow older and throughout adulthood, but it also develops educational skills.
Measuring out ingredients and counting improves mathematics. Talking about what they are doing and understanding instructions improves literacy skills. But it is not just academic skills that can be improved through baking.
We know how much the children like to get involved with the mixing, sprinkling and decorating when baking. These types of actions will improve both their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Getting the children involved in the baking process teaches children what goes into their food and how it is made. Not only that, taking part in baking can also encourage children to be more adventurous and more willing to try new foods.
Baking together with your children can improve relationships, communication skills and help to build confidence. In addition, working through a recipe teaches children planning skills. Helping your child to organise themselves in the kitchen where they are enjoying themselves (and learning without realising!) can encourage them to adopt organisation and planning in other situations.
Children can also make observations of what happens to the ingredients when they are mixed together, put in the fridge or put in the oven. Do they change colour? Do they get harder or softer? Does the mixture get bigger or smaller? The kitchen can be like a science lab with experiments happening everywhere!
So, on a rainy day, why not get all of your ingredients out and bake something yummy to eat. Most importantly, have fun!
Here is a recipe our wonderful Pastry Chef, Mrs Murphy would like to share with you all especially for National Baking Week:
If you would like to try out some more recipes at home, Mrs Bhogal and the catering team have shared some of their other favourite recipes which are available here.
It’s the beginning of a new academic year at Pilgrims and we are all excited to start learning new things. Pilgrims’ Headteacher, Mrs Webster, explains a little more about what the children can look forward to.
I have really enjoyed hearing all about what the children have been up to during the summer holidays! Now, the children have returned to school refreshed and ready to learn. We have lots of exciting things planned for this term! From learning about different types of ‘super powers’, to the different roles our staff have across the school as well as exploring oceans and the creatures who live in them.
Reception
The children’s autumn term topic is ‘Me and my World’. We have started the year settling into the new environment, learning to understand the daily routines and supporting the children to become more responsible and independent. We have now begun to learn about ‘My Family and my Home’ as well as the timeline of a person, from baby to adult.
Following on from this, we will be discussing and exploring the different roles the children might like to have when they grow up. We even have parents and other members of the community coming to speak to the children about the jobs they do. Previous years have included a Formula 1 racing engineer, a firefighter, a vet, a florist and a chef.
Later in the term, we will also be looking at the seasons and different celebrations, tying this in with Christmas and all the excitement that comes with it!
Year 1
The topic for Year 1 this term is ‘Commotion in the Ocean’. This will involve the children learning about the oceans of the world and the amazing creatures who live in them, including blue whales and seahorses. They will even have a visit from a scuba-diver who will explain how he is able to stay under the water for so long and what it was like to meet a shark close-up!
The children will also take a trip to The Sea Life Centre to observe the sea creatures themselves and then learn about pollution in the ocean. Finally, pupils will investigate the history of the seaside and the story of Punch and Judy. Join in with this theme at home by reading Someone Swallowed Stanley by Sara Roberts, watching Finding Nemo or taking a trip to the beach!
Year 2
The theme for Year 2 is Super Powers. There are lots of different super powers to investigate, from creatures with amazing powers of camouflage to the power generated by humans across the world.
The children have already got fully involved in a Superhero dress up day and had a visit from the five-time skipping world record holder, Peter Thompson. It was exhausting just watching him! However, the children were so inspired that many of them have now taken up skipping during their playtime and lunch breaks!
Welcome everyone to the new academic year at Pilgrims – I am excited to watch and learn new things too!
We know thinking of activities to keep your children entertained for the entire summer holidays can be tricky. Here, Mrs Webster, Headteacher at Pilgrims School, shares some fun and educational activity suggestions that the whole family can enjoy this summer.
At Pilgrims, we know how important it is for children to continue learning all-year-round, even during the holidays. Continuous learning builds confidence in our pupils and keeps the mind sharp and stimulated.
Learning throughout the holidays also gives children more flexibility and choice over what and how they want to learn. You don’t have to sit and give your children worksheets to fill out for them to keep learning; there’s so many activities that children can take part in without even realising they are building on their knowledge.
Days out in and around Bedford
If your family loves a thrill, then a day out at Box End Park is perfect for you. Box End Park has a giant aqua park with the UK’s biggest water mega slide, as well as boat skiing and wake-boarding, stand up paddle boarding and more.
For something a little more relaxed, head to Bedford Arts and Crafts Centre where the family can participate in pottery, drawing and painting, jewellery design and lots of other craft courses.
Home to over 200 birds and animals, your children can definitely learn a thing or two at Herrings Green Activity Farm & Bird of Prey Centre. You can watch bird shows, feed the farm animals and even have a family goat walk. If your child is an animal fanatic, they could also be a Junior Animal Keeper for a day!
Enjoying the outdoors
For a day at home in the garden, why not try a bug hunt or some bird spotting? Encourage your child’s curiosity and prompt them to ask and answer questions. How many spots does the ladybird have? What sound does a swift make? What do ants eat?
Get creative in the garden and make a fairy or dinosaur garden. Use sticks and stones you can find outside and some recyclable materials, such as yoghurt pots and kitchen roll tubes, to put your masterpiece together! Help your child’s imagination come to life.
Keep active in the local park by creating your own family sports day or obstacle course. Make sure you keep score so you know who wins the medal at the end of the day!
Bedford Park and Russell Park are both great places to walk or cycle to for a picnic with your friends and family. Open spaces such as these also encourage children to use their imagination and come up with new games to play and activities to enjoy together.
Rainy day activities
One of my favourite things to do on a rainy day is to read a book. Books stimulate all sorts of creativity so you could read one together or even make up your own and act it out with toys or puppets.
I know you all miss Jake over the holidays, so why not write a letter or postcard to Jake letting him know what you have been up to while you’ve been away? Make sure you bring it in for him to read in September.
Another great – and delicious – activity for a rainy day is baking! You could try cooking up one of Mrs Bhogal’s tasty recipes. We think that her courgette and lemon cupcakes are the perfect summer treat.
We would love to see what you get up to over the summer, so why not share your ideas and pictures into the closed Facebook group? Or if you are happy to have your photos shared, send them to our public Facebook and Twitter pages.
We hope you all enjoy the summer and we look forward to seeing how much fun you are having at home!