Welcome back to the summer term.

As pupils enter their final term at Bickleigh Down, we will be encouraging them in our school value of aspiration - to keep working hard and trying their best at all times.

This is a very busy term, as we are sure you are aware, starting with the SAT assessments which take place from May 13^th. The children have been well prepared for these and should have nothing to be anxious about. We hope to see them for breakfast before their tests as this gives them time with their peers and is a lovely start to the day.

Throughout the term, the children will be undertaking transition activities with their allocated secondary schools. This is an exciting time, but is understandably worrying for some and we continue to support the children to make the transition process as stress free as possible. Yes, it is a very busy time - and we have high expectations - but this will ensure that all the children reach their full potential and achieve all that they are capable of.

We are also hoping to stage a Year 6 production in July and the children are really looking forward to this. Auditions will take place once the SAT assessments are over. We will update here with further details as the term moves on.

Spellings continue to be tested every Monday and children are expected to show that they have learned their spellings daily. A printed list was sent home at the beginning of the term and a copy is available below.

PE takes place on a Wednesday (indoor or outdoor) and Thursday (outdoor), and children should have their PE kit with appropriate footwear in school at all times. We will aim to make the most of the (hopefully) improving weather, so children are likely to be outside in the afternoon on a Wednesday. Please ensure that they have appropriate head coverings and sun cream as required.

All items of clothing, water bottles, lunchboxes etc. must be clearly named, so that any lost equipment can be returned.

Below is a link to our Pace Planners, which show what we will be learning this term.

Thank you for visiting the website. 

Y6 Residential September 2023 Updates

Monday 25th September:

Residential got off to a good start today. We had a good journey to Great Torrington and arrived on site before midday. After putting bags in the dorms, we enjoyed pizza and chips for lunch and were then straight in with the activities. High ropes, archery, zip wire and survivor were this afternoon's activities and this evening we are being entertained with a 'passport to the world'. If they don't sleep well after that, I don't know what it will take.

All the children have had fun and challenged themselves to join in with all the activities. They have spent free time playing outside on the field or basketball court. The staff are definitely shattered so let's hope for a peaceful night.

Two groups are due to go surfing tomorrow so we are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather is kind.

Tuesday, 26th September:

The excitement for today's activities was evident by the early start we were all treated to this morning! After breakfast, we were pleased to hear that two of the groups were able to go surfing after all. Once they had donned their wetsuits, they set off for Westward Ho! beach and had a great time.

The groups left on site enjoyed archery and the zip wire and, in one group, every single child climbed the pole and enjoyed their ride on the zip line, trying in vain to reach the £20 note the instructors insisted was in the tree. Archery saw some budding Robin Hoods emerge as they were shown the techniques. It was great to see the improvement they all made as they shot more arrows and did their independent shooting.

At lunch time, the surfers returned and we were all on site for the afternoon activities: street surfing, climbing, high ropes and orienteering. 

This evening, we paid our first visit to the shop and, after dinner, had a great game of Ambush - hide and seek in the dark. A chance to actually use their torches and find where Mrs Ballett was hiding. 

All the children have participated in every activity and played football or basketball during their 'rest' time. All in all, they must be shattered. Therefore, it's off to bed to recoup for another packed day tomorrow. Let's hope the forecast weather is kinder to us than anticipated!

Wednesday, 27th September

Hurrah! We all got more sleep last night. We even had to wake the children up so they didn't miss breakfast this morning.

Today, all groups went on the Tarka Trail Hike. We were really lucky with the weather - especially this morning- and enjoyed hearing all the 'tall tales' from the instructors, as well as taking in some stunning scenery and playing 'Pooh sticks' in the stream. 10,000 steps later, we returned for a well earned rest.

All the groups did the challenge course today... some of them even enjoyed it! (But not as much as Mr Stein and Mr Harden, who were in charge of the hose pipe and water obstacles.)

Half the children also learned how to safely shoot a rifle. If they did well, they might even show you their target card. The remaining half did 'survivor', being shown how to make fire from flint and steel and how to build a safe and comfy shelter. We hope they got some great ideas for next week's writing in school.

After a trip to the shop, they spent some time in their dorms before heading out for tonight's game of Balloon Splash. Let's hope they have some energy left for tomorrow's disco.

Thursday 28th September

Our final full day of activities today and we actually had to wake all the children up this morning! Sadly, surfing was called off due to the tail end of Storm Agnes causing strong winds and rough seas. Nevertheless, we still went to the beach and enjoyed a morning of beach games and playing in the sand.

All the children had the chance to do the trapeze today. This involved climbing up a pole and launching themselves off a platform to see if they could catch the trapeze. Many of them managed it and others managed to climb that bit higher than they had before. All in all a great achievement.

Groups also completed the other activities they hadn't yet done this week: rifle shooting, street surfing, climbing and orienteering. 

We are really proud of the way they have joined in with activities, even when they aren't their favourite or they are a bit nervous about doing them. They have shown great resilience and we have seen lots of examples of team work and spurring each other on with love as they have all supported each other to achieve.

Final night tonight and we are trying a 'silent disco'. Not sure how silent it will be, but we will see.

We have had a great time but the children are looking forward to being home and seeing their families tomorrow. I do hope your washing machines are ready for the onslaught!