Police, ugly bugs and a splashing good time for pupils

William Penn School in Coolham has had a busy time, with pupils enjoying a range of fun activities. Here are just a few:

On Friday William Penn School welcomed PC Keeley, from Sussex Police Neighbourhood School’s Team. PC Keeley came to visit our KS2 classes and spoke about the dangers of cyber-bullying and safety on the Internet generally. She

gave our children lots of useful advice and strategies to help prevent them from ever becoming victims of Internet crime. The children found her advice really helpful and the subjects she raised encouraged lots of discussion and the

children felt confident in sharing any concerns they might have had.

Young swimmers from William Penn competed in the Billingshurst Primary Schools’ Gala, with seven local schools, and achieved a joint 4th place in the ‘non-club swimmers heats’.

Competition amongst the schools was very stiff and we were placed 1st and 2nd in many of our heats, which shows the very high standard of all involved.

It was an exciting afternoon at Billingshurst Leisure Centre’s swimming pool and all schools cheered pupils on regardless of whether they were part of their team or not, creating an electric atmosphere of good sportsmanship.

Children competed using a variety of different strokes and there were also four relay races including a ball relay and float kicking relay, all of which really tested the children’s abilities. Placements were as follows: 1st

Billingshurst Primary School, 2nd St Mary’s, 3rd Wisborough Green Primary School, joint 4th William Penn Primary School and Rudgwick Primary School, 5th Itchingfield School and 6th Loxwood School.

Reception and KS1 children at William Penn staged an ‘Ugly Bug Ball’ as part of their curriculum learning into minibeasts.

All of our children dressed up as a variety of minibeasts with costumes that many had created using a variety of recycled materials. Our KS1 teachers, Mrs Jacques and Miss Richardson, had an exciting day of learning and fun

activities planned around this topic including: going on a minibeast hunt, building an ant world with soil in a perspex tank, decorating butterfly biscuits, parachute games, making mini-beast punch, which I’m assured didn’t actually have any real minibeasts in it! Finally the chidren built a fantastic minibeast habitat using wooden pallets stuffed with straw, soil, pine cones, plant pots etc, which will form a permanent conservation feature in the school grounds

and which is, even as I write, being used for a science investigation!