Inspirational is our value for this half term and in our launch assembly Fran and Dan Mapp, Appledore School parents, came in to tell us all about representing GB in the Aquathlon and Duathlon World Championships very soon. To follow their progress, visit mrandmrsmapp on Instagram. Thank you Fran and dan for your visit and quiz prizes for the children!

It’s sports day next week and FOAS are attending to sell refreshments such as bacon rolls and cream teas. Please see here for more information.

Do you know what the emojis children use mean? Are you sure? Please see here to find out more and here for a podcast about emojis. For our most recent attendance newsletter please see here

Dates for the diary

• Girls cricket @Bideford Cricket Club free turn up and play sessions information see here
• Sports Day is next week, Tuesday 17th June, and the reserve date is Tuesday 24th June please see here for information
• North Devon BioBlitz Friday 27th and Saturday 28th June is free to all. Please see here and here for information.

Wishing you all a great weekend.

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

It has been great having the children back after the break and how has this year gone so quickly that we find ourself in the last half term?

This week Year 5 walked to the slipway on Tuesday morning where they sang for a host of Bishops. Appledore had been chosen as the location where Moira Aston was announced as the new bishop of Crediton and we were invited along to sing to show the community spirit of Appledore. The children sang three songs beautifully in the sunny yet windy conditions. We had inadvertently selected the new bishop’s favourite song in our programme and she enthusiastically accompanied the children in their rendition of “From a Distance”. This is the song the choir will be performing at the Big Sheep and a google form has gone out to choir members for you to let us know how many people will be attending the festival. There are no physical tickets this year!

Atlantic Racquet Centre in Bideford are running a number of beginner tennis classes for children and adult and for more information please see here and here.

Dates for the diary

• For free after school school summer girls’ rugby taster sessions in June with Bideford Rugby Club girls in years 3-6 please see here 
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June
• North Devon BioBlitz Friday 27th and Saturday 28th June is free to all. Please see here and here for information.

Wishing you all a good weekend.

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

Sports Day is fast approaching and details were emailed out earlier this week. The details are also available here.

Term dates for 2026-2027 have now been published, available here, and please be aware that the children return to school on Tuesday 3rd June after the half term.

The children have been enjoying taking part in activities with rangers from the Northam Burrows Country Park over that past few weeks and asking if they can get involved in more activities over half term, well they can and please see here and here to find out what is on offer,

A message from Liz Clough, Torridge Citizens Advice, ‘We know the school holidays can be an expensive time – with the kids at home more, you may end up spending more on energy. Our dedicated energy team can run through tips to help you cut your bills, as well as look at making sure you have enough money to pay for your ongoing usage by checking your entitlement for benefits or seeing if you can claim any grants. If you’re on a prepayment meter, we might also be able to issue you with vouchers to keep you topped up over the holidays‘. For more information and to contact our energy advisers, call 01237 879 233 and leave a message.

Dates for the Diary

• Saturday 17th May, 10am-4pm, family friendly Festival of Nature, St Mary’s Hall, Appledore see here
• Tennis Camps @ Westward Ho! tennis courts. Thursday 29th & Friday 30th May 9am-3.30pm. Full days and half days, subsidised by Northam Town Council. £14 for the full day, £7 for the half day.
• For free after school school summer girls’ rugby taster sessions in June with Bideford Rugby Club girls in years 3-6 please see here 
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

Wishing you all a lovely half term and please remember we return to school on Tuesday 3rd June.

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff

(more…)

Year 6 SATs week always seems to bring the best weather and this year as no exception! Well done to all our year 6 pupils who approached it with such maturity and thank you to all the staff and external volunteers who helped this week to ensure it all ran so smoothly.

Inclusive is our value for this half term and last week the theme of assemblies was deaf awareness. One of our parents has made a fantastic animated film (see here) on deaf awareness and keep an eye out for information about a community sign language club. Each week children attend a signing club in school.

It is great to see so many children cycling to school. Please be aware that some of the older children are not wearing a helmet and for the children to leave their bikes on school premises we require the children to wear a  helmet.

Dates for the Diary

• Saturday 17th May, 10am-4pm, family friendly Festival of Nature, St Mary’s Hall, Appledore see here
• For free after school school summer girls’ rugby taster sessions in June with Bideford Rugby Club girls in years 3-6 please see here 
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

Wishing you all a super weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

Year 6 excelled with their enthusiasm during their first aid training this week and were credited by the trainer for their skills – well done year 6. The fish tank in our main corridor has been met with equal levels of enthusiasm as the children try to locate the crab and starfish each time they pass it. The tanks is linked to the children’s science learning and the Royal Society project we are running in school this year to inspire tomorrow’s climate scientists.

Yesterday, children had quiet time to reflect on the 80th anniversary of VE Day and our assembly this week focussed on Deaf Awareness Week.

Good attendance remains a priority for us all and please see here for April’s attendance newsletter.

Congratulations to Pacific/Red House for winning the House Cup for the Spring Term. Those in Pacific can wear red on Friday 16th May as their treat.

Dates for the Diary

• Saturday 17th May, 10am-4pm, family friendly Festival of Nature, St Mary’s Hall, Appledore see here
• For free after school school summer girls’ rugby taster sessions in June with Bideford Rugby Club girls in years 3-6 please see here 
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

Have a lovely weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

It has been lovely to see all the children enjoying the field and the excitement it brings.  There is limited shade on the field so please ensure children come to school with sun protection applied (crazy I know, but we are not allowed to apply it!) and a sun hat. Sun glasses are only permitted if your child needs them for hay fever protection or an identified medical needs and you have informed us by emailing admin@appledoreprimary.co.uk

On Sunday 4th May, starting at 10am, Appledore Lifeboat is celebrating its 200th birthday with many activities throughout the day, including children from Appledore School singing from approximately 12.30pm. All children in key stage two are welcome to join the singing.

Other Dates for the Diary

• Saturday 17th May, 10am-4pm, family friendly Festival of Nature, St Mary’s Hall, Appledore see here
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

Have a great weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

Welcome back everyone and we hope you had a good Easter break. A shorter week, but no less busy. A new term brings the start of new projects and topics and this has included visits to the beach looking for seaweed types and creating a mini coastal habitat in a tank in our main corridor. Please click here for an overview of what your children will be learning this term this year.  And as to what the children have been up to this week in all classes, please read on to find out…

Dates for the Diary

• Saturday 17th May, 10am-4pm, family friendly Festival of Nature, St Mary’s Hall, Appledore see here
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

Wishing you all a super weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

Sadly, Sally, who works in AOOSC, leaves us this week and we wish her well with her new adventure…involving ducks and chickens! Thank you Sally for your hard work looking after our children.  After Easter, Mrs Wilkins returns from maternity leave to year 1 and will be job sharing with Mrs Malyn. Also returning from maternity leave after Easter is Mrs Stephens, who will resume her job share in year 2 with Mrs Stanbury.

For the FOAS (Friends of Appledore School (ie the parents who put on fund raising events for the school)) newsletter please see here. A big thank you to all they do in support of the school!

We have started a BSL (British Sign Language) club in school. The club involves ambassadors across the school who attend cascade their learning to their class (and at home too!). A Crowdfunding page has been organised to raise funds to resource the club, so far halfway towards target, so any donation, no matter the size, would be greatly received. See here for the link

During each school holiday the rangers at Northam Burrows Country Park provide free events on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons as well as self-guided trails and other activities. Please see here for more information and the visitor centre will be open daily from this Saturday 5th April until the end of October half term.

Dates for the diary:

• Free Spike Lego Workshop at Appledore Library 10am-12pm Saturday 5th April see here
• Dinosaur Egg Hunt in Appledore Library see here
• Family Bingo 12th April in Appledore Community Hall hosted by Appledore Pirates . For more information see here
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

We wish you all a happy Easter

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

Another busy and productive week for us all that ends with the discos this evening. Seen you there..!

Dates for the diary:

• Family Bingo 12th April in Appledore Community Hall hosted by Appledore Pirates . For more information see here
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

Wishing you all a good weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff

(more…)

Spring is not only officially here, because probably the most exciting thing happening here this week was the children being able to go on the field at lunchtime and this usually signals springtime!

Great to see the children in red today, despite the displeasure it caused our resident diehard PAFC supporter who goes by the name of Mrs Bannister! Thank you for supporting the children with wearing red for Comic Relief.

• School Spring Disco Friday 28th March and more information here
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June
• Please keep an eye out for communication regarding forthcoming parents evenings

Wishing you all a good weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff

!AROUND THE CLASSES

This week in Turtles and Dolphins we have continued to learn about spring. We have matched animals to that young and found out about the different types of flowers that grow in Spring. On Thursday we had a go at making a daffodil using a range of different materials. Today we went down to the woods to look for signs of spring.

In year 1 this week to start our new writing unit on instructions we made stretchy slime, the children worked in groups to follow the instructions and then had a fantastic time playing with it. There are some photos on google classroom and some instructions to make edible slime if you fancy having a go at home! In science we continued our learning about the human body by thinking about our senses. We took part in some experiments where we had to guess objects by just using just our sense of touch or hearing. They had great fun guessing food by using their sense of smell only. On Friday we continued our senses work in outdoor learning by focusing on our sight and hearing senses. If you fancy doing your own taste test at home there is a video on google classrooms. Have a lovely weekend!

Year 2 invited two visitors into the classroom this week. One visitor was a Muslim lady. She spoke to the children about what being a Muslim means to her and the five pillars of Islam. She was very impressed by their knowledge and they asked some really interesting questions. The second visitor was a trombone player from Appledore Band. She showed them how the instrument works and played some tunes for them. They were really inspired for their next lesson with the p-bones (plastic trombones). In Maths, they have been looking at capacity and volume. They have been working in groups to use different containers to measure capacity and volume. In English, they have been writing their own animal books with the facts they have been learning. We have been very impressed with how their writing skills are improving. Well done!

Year 3 have begun to plan their spooky story that they will record over the soundtrack they have created in Yu Studio. Year 4 had fun trying to match onomatopoeia to the cyclic patterns they have created which they will also record into their composition as an audio file. Year 5 added a subtrakt to their composition and will begin structuring their final piece. In RE, year 3 designed Mendhi patterns, year 4 made palm crosses and designed alter cloths, year 5 looked at how a Hindu strives to be truthful and do know harm and year 6 researched a number of different twentieth century martyrs.

Seahunter class (year 3) have had a brilliant week. In Maths, we recapped reading scales and then we learnt all about grams and kilograms. In English, we explored the use of the present perfect tense and then used this to write a letter to congratulate Arthur on saving his town. Towards the end of the week, we began to plan our own quest story based on Arthur and the Golden Rope. In Geography, we explored the quality of our local environment. We discussed what we thought made a good local environment, and then came up with our own criteria for measuring the quality of a street. In PE, we focused on our sending and receiving skills and also explored some different counter balances with a partner. In Values, we thought about what is helpful and harmful for our bodies and sorted our ideas into a venn diagram. In Computing, we discussed how digital devices can help us by changing the way we work, and we began to recognise some similarities and differences between using digital devices and non-digital tools.

In year 4 this week, the children have written a nonfiction piece about volcanoes and earthquakes which links nicely to their Geography unit. The children explained clearly how volcanoes and earthquakes occur using technical vocabulary and they also wrote a ‘fantasy’ way of ‘how they thought’ earthquakes and volcanoes occur which links to the style of the English text ‘Until I Met Dudley’, They have been a joy to read and soon they will be published for everyone to see displayed in the main building. In Maths, we are coming to the end of learning fractions where the children have now learnt about how to add and subtract from mixed numbers. In PE, the children took part in a circuit of activities where they had to practise their sending and receiving skills with a ball, such as footballs, tennis balls and rackets and throwing and catching, and they counted how many successful passes they did. Next week they will see whether they can beat their scores! In outdoor learning, the children looked for living things around the school and classified them.

It has been a very busy and physical week for many in the year 5 class. Well done to all those who took part in the bikeability sessions and achieved your level 1 and 2 cycling skills awards. Badges and certificates are coming home on Friday! In our writing sessions this week we have continued to develop our explanation writing skills and linking this to our science work. New inventions have been created ready for our final piece of writing next week. We have completed our unit of maths work on decimals and percentages and we will end the term with further work on fractions. In science we used our graphs skills to see the difference in weight and height of baby boys and girls and then the life cycle of a butterfly and frog. The caterpillars in class are growing quickly!!

Year 6 have completed work on percentages, decimals and fractions this week as well as looking into calculating angles. In Literacy, they have been having fun with ‘The Day The Crayons Quit’ planning and writing their own versions. In reading, they have been going over 3 mark questions and looking at how to improve answers: some great improvements so far. Revision will begin in class just before the holidays – it’s time to make sure you know your grammar and maths facts. Please remind children to ask in class if there are things that they are unsure about.

It’s great to see classes taking advantage of our wonderful grounds during lessons by taking aspects of learning outside of the classrooms. To find out more please read the Around the Classes section further down this post.

Comic Relief is next Friday, so it’s wear red for the day and if you are able to donate please feel free to send it in to school.

The charity Book Relief in Bideford has kindly donated a wide range of second-hand natural history books on topics the children are investigating in the Royal Society ‘Tomorrow’s Climate Scientists’ project. Similarly, The British Trust for Ornithology has also donated bird identification books. Developing a permanent library of reference books is one goal of this project.

Safeguarding conversations with pupils this week has highlighted that children are accessing online activities at ages below, in some cases significantly below, the minimum age ratings. One example is the currently popular online game Dumb Ways to Die that has a recommended age restriction of 12+. For general advice on age restrictions see here and specific app age guidelines see here

• Class photos will be taken next week on Tuesday 18th March
• School Spring Disco Friday 28th March and more information here
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June
• Please keep an eye out for communication regarding forthcoming parents evenings

Wishing you all a good weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

Already, it’s March! And of course March brings, amongst other things, World Book Day. Teachers enjoyed sharing a story that is special to them with a different class and the children, dressed in various costume, looked like they enjoyed it too!

Our project with The Royal Society is gaining momentum and today it is year 5s turn. Spending the day at PETROC, they will be looking at water monitoring and using microscopes, exploring underwater acoustics and lastly using 360 cameras to produce a film based on water pollution. This links with our desire to build a discovery centre at Appledore School and more information about that can be found here.

The internet has many benefits children and it is becoming an integral part of their lives. Unfortunately, it has its dark side and senior leaders at school received safeguarding training updates this week and internet safety and internet dangers formed part of this. A key message was that online activities we might have presumed were typical of teenagers are becoming increasingly typical in primary age children. Internet Watch Foundation is a recognised organisation that provides support and resources for parents and carers to support safe internet use by their children, including a T.A.L.K. checklist. Dove, the personal care brand, has produced a range of videos, many child friendly, that are a good starting point for a conversation with your child. The one here that highlights how the internet can affect body image and self esteem

Miss Olliffe is running a cake stall and raffle on Saturday at Chantal Law Fitness and Pilates studio, the Pill Bideford 7.45 – 11.00 am to raise some funds towards here Hyrox World Championship trip to Chicago. Qualifying for this is competition is a huge achievement and more information about it can be found here.

• Wednesday 12th March Torridge Family Hub, Victoria Park, Bideford is holding a free drop-in for parents to chat to Speech and Language therapists and Special Educational Needs Advisors. See here for more information.
• Class photos will be taken on 18th March
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June
• Please keep an eye out for communication regarding forthcoming parents evenings

Wishing you all a good weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff

(more…)

Welcome back and we hope you all had a good half term.

Some months ago the newsletter included information regarding a ‘Discovery Centre’ that we hope to build on our school site. This will provide a dedicated place for the children to engage with environmental studies, science, technology, engineering and maths learning for primary school children, their families and the wider community.  You can see what we believe it could look like and find out more by clicking here. Our next stage is to get the plans through planning permission stage and we are hoping to raise this through fundraising led by parents association. Please see here for more information and if you are able to donate, and no donation is too small, that would be great please.

As a school we encourage a sense of belonging and strongly believe that every member of our community should be treated with respect and kindness. This is supported in many areas of curriculum, including one of our core PSHE values and areas of learning being Inclusive, and observance of days such as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21st March). We firmly believe that any form of disability, racial religion or belief, sexual orientation or gender based prejudice or hostility towards another person is unacceptable.

llsham National English Hub would like to invite you to attend a FREE session on Wednesday 5th March 2-3pm to support you with helping your child at home in their reading journey. During this free, hour-long session, The Ilsham National English hub team will be sharing videos and practical solutions to support practice at home. The focus will be on supporting your child to become an expressive fluent reader.
This session is targeted at families (including grandparents), carers, childminders and before/after school provision workers. It is designed to support children from pre school age up to the end of Key Stage One (Year 2). For booking a place please see here

Dates for the diary:

• World Book Day 2025 is Thursday 6th March. Turtles, Dolphins, Years 1 and 2 can come to school dressed in pyjamas for a bedtime story. Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 can dress in pyjamas or as a character from a book they have read
• 9.30am-12.30pm
• Wednesday 12th March Torridge Family Hub, Victoria Park, Bideford is holding a free drop-in for parents to chat to Speech and Language therapists and Special Educational Needs Advisors. See here for more information.
• Class photos will be taken on 18th March
• Sports Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June
• Please keep an eye out for communication regarding forthcoming parents evenings

Wishing you all a super weekend

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

This week included continuation of two of two of our Royal Society ‘tomorrow’s climate scientists’ investigations. Year 4 with follow-on work with the British Trust for Ornithology on data they collected and Year 5 storyboarding for their day at Pertoc where they will be extending their leaning about plastic in the sea.

FOAS (Friends Of Appledore School) are a small group of dedicated parents who organise events (eg cake sales, discos, fairs etc) to raise money for the school. This money is used not only to fund some ‘extras’ that wouldn’t otherwise happen, but also to help with ensuring those ‘extras’ that the always school does that make the school what is is and aren’t typically available in other schools. Please see here for a lovely glossy newsletter they have produced and if you can spend a few hours each term helping them, your help would be very much appreciated.

We are delighted Mrs Wilkins and Mrs Stephens are returning to us later this term from maternity leave. Mrs Wilkins will return immediately after the Easter holiday to Year 1 in a part time capacity and we are equally delighted that Mrs Malyn will continue to teach in Year 1 for the rest of the week. The week before the Easter holiday, Mrs Stephens will return the to Year 2 and resume the successful partnership she has shared for a number of years with Mrs Stanbury. Both arrangements will ensure continuity for the children this year and Mr Stephens and Mrs Wilkins will visit to get to now the children before their return dates.

To read our attendance letter for January, please see here

Next half term our value is Healthy and children will continue to learn about how they can keep themselves safe and healthy. Included within this is the statutory curriculum for relationship, sex and health education. Information has been sent to parents via email and to see the content of the email and for the links to understand what is being taught please see here.

Diary dates:

• Cake sale after school today on the bottom playground (or the hall if it is wet and/or too windy)
• For half term holiday football camps see here
• Saturday 22nd February, 10am-12pm, free Bird Box Workshop in Appledore Library
• World Book Day 2025 is Thursday 6th March. Turtles, Dolphins, Years 1 and 2 can come to school dressed in pyjamas for a bedtime story. Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 can dress in pyjamas or as a character from a book they have read
• 9.30am-12.30pm Wednesday 12th March Torridge Family Hub, Victoria Park, Bideford is holding a free drop-in for parents to chat to Speech and Language therapists and Special Educational Needs Advisors. See here for more information.
• Sport Day Tuesday 17th June and reserve date is Tuesday 24th June

Wishing you all a good half term

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)