Today, we brought our fantastic residential at PGL Dearne Valley to a close.

This morning, the children took part in their final two activities: indoor climbing and raft building. During raft building, the groups worked brilliantly as teams to design and construct their own rafts before putting them to the test on the water. It was wonderful to see their teamwork, problem-solving and bravery as they all climbed aboard their creations!

Indoor climbing was equally impressive, with the children showing great strength, determination and resilience as they challenged themselves to climb higher and higher. It has been fantastic to see how much confidence they have all gained over the past few days.

We are incredibly proud of every single child for the way they have approached each activity, supported one another and represented the school so well throughout the trip.

A huge thank you must also go to the staff who kindly gave up three days of their own time to make this experience possible. Their support and enthusiasm have helped make it such a memorable residential for everyone involved.

This afternoon has been another action-packed part of our adventure at Peak Venture!

The children took part in Night Line, a sensory walk where they worked in teams to guide one another along a trail while relying on their other senses. It was wonderful to see the communication, trust and teamwork on display as they supported each other through the challenge.

Later, we headed to Quick Zip, which proved to be a huge hit! The children showed fantastic determination and confidence. Many of them used what they had learned earlier in the day during abseiling and approached the challenge with even greater bravery. It was particularly lovely to see several children who chose not to complete abseiling step up and successfully take on the Quick Zip — which is actually even higher!

We are now looking forward to a slightly earlier night this evening so that everyone is well rested for our final morning tomorrow. We still have raft building and indoor climbing to look forward to, which promise to be fantastic activities.

After lunch, we will begin our journey home with 28 very tired (but very proud!) children who will no doubt be ready for their own beds.

See you all tomorrow!

The sun rose on Day 2 at Peak Venture and it was an early start for some of our adventurers, with the first murmurs beginning around 6:30am! Thankfully, it was a great night overall with only a few late-night chatters who were a little too excited about the day ahead.

We started the morning with a hearty breakfast of bacon, hash browns, beans and tomatoes, alongside a range of cereals and plenty of toast to fuel us for the busy day ahead.

We have also been incredibly proud to hear several members of the Peak Venture staff complimenting our children on their excellent manners and positive attitudes — something that has really stood out to everyone here.

This morning’s activities have already been full of excitement. The children took on abseiling, where it was fantastic to see so many of them showing real bravery and determination as they faced their fears and stepped over the edge. We also completed Survivor, where teamwork was key as the children worked together to build dens and learn the skills needed to start a fire.

It has been a brilliant start to the day, and the children are already looking forward to the next set of adventures!

We have arrived safely and soundly at PGL Dearne Valley and what a brilliant first day it has been!

The excitement began as soon as we stepped off the coach and it certainly hasn’t slowed down since. The children threw themselves into their first activities with fantastic enthusiasm, teamwork and courage. Aeroball brought out their competitive sides (and some impressive bouncing skills), while Hide and Seek – in the dark – added just the right amount of adventure and mystery to the evening!

At teatime, everyone refuelled with a choice of chicken nuggets or delicious homemade lasagne, served with a selection of pasta salads. There were plenty of clean plates and happy faces.

The children are now showered and settling into their rooms for a well-earned rest. There are definitely some very tired eyes already, but even more excited smiles as we look ahead to a full day of activities tomorrow.

So far, so fantastic – PGL, we are ready for you!

​Today, our Year 4 basketball team took part in the finals at Barnsley College, and what a fantastic experience it was! We took a team of ten children, made up of five boys and five girls, who represented the school brilliantly throughout the day.

Across four matches, we secured one win and narrowly lost three games. Every match was closely fought, and the children showed great determination, teamwork and sportsmanship from start to finish. Importantly, they never gave up, even when games were challenging.

The day was a great opportunity to learn more about basketball, including some new rules, and to learn more about ourselves as a team. The children should be incredibly proud of their effort, attitude and resilience.

Well done to everyone involved – you were a credit to the school!

​Year 4 had a fantastic time celebrating Number Day and showing just how fun and important Maths can be! We took part in Number Day to remind ourselves that Maths is not just something we do in books – it is used every single day in real life and helps us understand the world around us.

The children made a brilliant effort with their outfits and came dressed in a wide range of creative, colourful and interesting number-themed clothes. There were patterns, calculations, numbers and even money symbols on show – the effort and imagination were amazing!

During the day, we focused on Money Matters, completing real-life Maths activities linked to PSHE. We explored different jobs and discussed how people earn and manage money. We also learned about financial concepts such as debit cards and credit cards and how these are used responsibly.

The children also created their own multiplication number cards to practise key skills and finished the day with an exciting emoji Maths quiz, where they worked hard to earn up to 30 Dojos!

Well done, Year 4 – a brilliant day of learning, teamwork and Maths fun!

Today, we went on our first swimming lesson to Royston. Most of the children were fantastic but there were some that were slightly over excited. I am looking forward to seeing the progress that they make over the next 15 weeks.

Yesterday, we continued our work using FMS Logo, and the children were fantastic. They showed real confidence when writing precise instructions and then executing them accurately. Last week, the children used Logo to create numbers, and this week they successfully moved on to forming letters. It was great to see them thinking carefully about direction, angles and sequencing. Next week, we will be exploring repeating patterns, and I can’t wait to see the creative designs the children produce.

We have been looking at different pirate poems this week to go along with our Treasure Island theme. We completed all of the retrieval and vocabulary questions and looked at comparing them and finding words that capture the reader's imagination and I couldn't believe how hard they worked. As a treat, the children were allowed to perform these poems and tried to improve from their last attempts. They were much better at performing and the majority should be really proud of what they have achieved. 

This week, the children enjoyed a hands-on Maths lesson exploring square numbers in the KS2 hall. Working in groups of three, the children were given clear roles to support teamwork and collaboration. One child acted as the collector, gathering the counters, another was the builder, carefully arranging them and the third was the checker, ensuring each square number was correct.

Using counters and transparent counters, the children worked together to create square numbers up to 144. They demonstrated excellent mathematical thinking as they arranged the counters into equal rows and columns, helping them to visualise what square numbers really look like.

After the practical activity, we returned to the classroom where the children completed some written work to explain and record their learning. They were very focused, worked extremely well together and showed great enthusiasm throughout the lesson. A fantastic effort from everyone!