Latest News

Keep up to date with all the news from the school.

Come and see our virtual tour...

• Making Bug Homes in the Cerne Abbas Wildlife Garden

  Wed 28 Jun 2023

  The whole school helped to create bug homes in the Cerne Abbas Wildlife Garden this week. Our work at Hillfield Friary helped to prepare us to do this. Maddie's mum and dad helped Giant and Ducklings to make a log pile, Trendle Class to make a bug hotel and Abbey Class to make bee homes. Absolutely everything we used was donated or recycled - even the tin cans for the bee houses were from the cafe on Maddie's farm and the bamboo was grown in their garden! The roof tiles for the bug hotel were recycled from Reggie’s dad (thank you), the straw was grown on a farm in Godmanstone and the wood was a willow tree that came down Maddie's farm in a storm! 

  Thank you to Heather and Roy who spent the day with our children creating these homes for the insects to enjoy.

  

• Whole School Muddy Trip

  Sat 24 Jun 2023

  We had an AMAZING trip to Dorset Water Park Mud Trail on Thursday. The whole school travelled to Corfe and experienced the fun and challenge of the mud trail. The children and staff absolutely loved it and it was lovely to see the children demonstrating our values of friendship and courage as they helped and encouraged one another and tried new challenges even if they felt nervous. There were smiles and laughter all around. I was very proud of everyone. Enjoy the pictures.

  

• Hillfield's Friary

  Sat 10 Jun 2023

  Each class is taking it in turn to go to Hillfield's Friary and learn about insects. We are then going to use this learning and Help our community build a Wildlife garden.

  The Giants and Ducklings went first:

   

  We had such a lovely time learning more about insects and minibeasts with Richard and Chantelle at Hilfield today!
  After the excitement of travelling by minibus (and coming down the big hill!) we played some games running around in the garden area and moving like different insects. We especially loved buzzing like bees and flapping our wings as dragonflies and butterflies.
  We then went to look inside the moth trap that Richard had set overnight. It was a large box, filled with empty egg cartons. On the lid was a large bulb that had been shining brightly overnight to tempt the moths inside. Richard gently lifted out each box to reveal many exciting moths! The boxes were passed around so we could have a closer look and there was an opportunity to hold some on our hands too. In the trap there was a large poplar hawk-moth, privet hawk-moth, a buff-tip moth (which cleverly disguises itself as a stick!) peppered moths and many more!
  We then had a drink and snack before splitting into groups for the next activities. Giants worked on some bee and ladybird clay crafts, using coloured pebbles to recreate patterns using identification pictures. We also created some butterfly print paintings with paint and string which was lots of fun! Meanwhile the Ducklings went off on a bug hunt in the garden. Richard had nets and sheets to collect and gather insects and bugs so we could use our 'pooters' to suck and catch the insects in pots without harming them. This was very exciting! We found caterpillars, spiders, beetles and even damselflies!
  The groups then swapped over so the Giants could go bug hunting in the wildflower meadows while the Ducklings had a go at the clay craft. Out in the meadows the Giants found all sorts of insects, which Richard was fantastic at identifying! We spotted shield bugs, cucumber spiders, weevils, aphids, ladybird larvae, dock beetle larvae and many many more! Richard explained that 'true bugs' are insects that have sucking mouths, like we were sucking using the pooters! He also told us that butterflies like stinging nettles so will be looking out carefully on our next welly walk!
  After a busy morning we tucked into our packed lunches and cooled off in the courtyard. We even got to help feed the sheep before it was time to head back on the buses to school.
  Thank you to everyone who came to help. We had a lovely time! 

   

  Abbey went next:

   

  When we were at Hillfield's Friary on Friday we learnt about bees because we are going to build bees homes in the Cerne Abbas Wildlife garden. We played a game that taught us about how dangerous hornets are to bees and then we learnt about what happens in a hive. We were allowed to dress in the protective equipment that bee keepers wear and taste the lovely honey. We also found out where other bees live, they are called solitary bees and what experts bees are as pollinators. We made a bees wax candle each and enjoyed looking at the various flowers bees get there nectar from. We have such food fun and learnt so much. We are now looking forward to making some bee homes for the Cerne Abbas Wildlife Garden in a couple of weeks time.