Nancealverne School Parent Portal - Newsletter 03/07/2026

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Dear parents, carers and families,

As another busy and exciting few weeks come to an end, it has been wonderful to see the fantastic learning taking place across the school, even during some exceptionally warm weather. Our pupils have continued to embrace every opportunity with enthusiasm, curiosity and resilience. In Primary, children have been exploring shape in Maths and learning about healthy eating through the much-loved story of Supertato. Meanwhile, our Secondary pupils have continued their exciting road trip around the world, travelling through Italy and Kenya before arriving in China this week. Science lessons have seen pupils experimenting with the forces of nature, investigating gravity through hands-on practical activities. Some of our older students have also successfully completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions, demonstrating determination, teamwork and resilience, while others have been busy preparing for their upcoming leaving celebrations and prom—an exciting milestone that we are all looking forward to celebrating together.

Last week's heatwave certainly tested us all, and I would like to thank both our pupils and staff for the fantastic way they adapted. Staff made thoughtful adjustments throughout the day, providing plenty of opportunities to cool down while ensuring learning continued safely and successfully. We are incredibly proud of how well everyone coped.

With further warm weather expected, please continue to support us by sending your child to school with a named water bottle, sun cream already applied (and a named bottle if reapplication is required), a sun hat, and cool, loose-fitting clothing where appropriate.

We are now looking forward to what promises to be a wonderful end to the term, beginning with Sports Day today and our School Fayre next Friday. Thank you, as always, for your continued support—it makes such a difference to our school community.

We hope you enjoy reading about all the fantastic achievements and experiences our pupils have enjoyed over the past few weeks!

Jodie Phillips

Deputy Headteacher

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Acorns Class:

Acorns loved our trip to the zoo, especially going on the big coach and our favourite animals were the penguins and the monkeys. We loved seeing the monkeys really close up and they showed us their babies on their back.

In Maths we have learning lots about different shapes and we had a lovely afternoon in the paddling pools with ice lollies when it was very hot.

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Juniper Class:

During the scorching temperatures Juniper class kept cool with water fights and ice pops!

We also explored what it means to be healthy and happy and rated a variety of veggies, alongside reading the amazing story ‘Supertato!’

We've moved our bodies in different ways, such as playing parachute games and thought about things that make us laugh! The shaving foam beards were a highlight.

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Cedar Class:

Over the last few weeks we have continued on our road trip around the world! We have explored Italy, Kenya and this week we are in China. The learning opportunities to explore different cultures and landmarks through sensory exploration gives the cedar class learners rich experiences that enable them to build confidence across different contexts.

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Palm Class:

Palm Class News: Serving Up Science, Sports, and Song!

It has been an absolutely brilliant few weeks in Palm Class! The children have been incredibly busy exploring new skills, getting active, and diving into some fascinating science.

We have loved learning new ways to communicate and express ourselves through music in our signing choir. The children have shown fantastic enthusiasm and focus whilst practising their signs, and it has been a joy to watch them perform together.

In physical education, Palm Class showed incredible teamwork and precision during our recent boccia tournament! It was a highly competitive but friendly event, and the children really developed their tactical thinking and throwing accuracy. We also took our sports skills to the court with a fantastic trip to Penzance Tennis Club. The children enjoyed practising their skills, even though it was raining. A huge thank you to the club for hosting us every week and helping us refine our racket skills!

In science, we have been experimenting with the forces of nature—specifically, gravity! We designed, made, and tested our very own paper spinners. By dropping them from different heights, we observed how air resistance works against gravity to slow down the spinners' descent. The children were fascinated by the results and did a marvellous job recording their findings.

We are incredibly proud of the curiosity, sportsmanship, and creativity Palm Class has shown this term. Keep up the fantastic work, everyone!

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Willows Class:

Willows Class has been on a wonderful European adventure recently! We have loved exploring different countries, learning about their cultures, and discovering some of their famous landmarks. To make our journey even more exciting, we created our very own passports, ready for our travels across Europe. It has been a fantastic way to learn about the world while having lots of fun!

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Maple Class:

Maple Class have had a busy and exciting few weeks! Alongside our usual learning and exploration in the classroom, we thoroughly enjoyed a fantastic visit to the zoo, where we discovered more about a variety of amazing animals and their habitats.

Some of our students have also taken part in their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award expeditions. They demonstrated great teamwork, resilience, and determination throughout the experience.

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Oaks Class:

Oaks Class has had another fantastic few weeks! We were delighted to welcome the team from Mustard Seed, who introduced students to the exciting opportunities they provide in helping young adults develop skills for the hospitality industry. The session was inspiring, and we are looking forward to visiting them in action over the next couple of weeks.

We also enjoyed a visit from the wonderful John Brolly, whose captivating storytelling kept everyone engaged from start to finish and sparked plenty of discussion and imagination.

In Maths, students have been developing their Key Skills Builder skills by exploring shape and structure. Working collaboratively, they took on the challenge of designing and building paper bridges, demonstrating excellent teamwork, problem-solving and resilience.

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Mazey Day:

On Saturday, we were delighted to take part in the 11:00am Mazey Day Parade in Penzance. Dressed in vibrant fiery colours, we proudly walked alongside our phoenix.

Our students were exceptionally well-behaved throughout the event and represented our school with enthusiasm, respect and pride. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day so special.

A special thank you also goes to our dedicated staff, whose creativity, hard work and commitment behind the scenes made our participation possible. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated, and we are incredibly grateful for everything you did to bring our phoenix to life and ensure the day was such a success.

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Friday 10th July: Summer Fayre 1:30–2:45pm.

Tuesday 21st July: Students break up for summer (normal time finish).

Thursday 3rd September: Student's first day back for the new term.

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If your child is absent from school without authorisation, you will be committing an offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £80 if paid within 21 days or £160 if paid after this but within 28 days.

If your child is further absent from school without authorisation within any 3-year period, you will be committing a further offence under the Education Act 1996. We may submit a request to Cornwall Council for a Penalty Notice to be issued, in accordance with Sections 444A and 444B of the said Act. Penalty Notices for a second offence are issued per liable parent, per child and each carry a fine of £160, payable within 28 days.

Importantly, fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action such as a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.

Failure to pay the Penalty Notice may also result in legal action. If you are prosecuted and attend court because your child has not been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500. Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.

Absence not authorised by the school may also result in a prosecution in the Magistrates’ Court under Section 444(1) or Section 444(1A) of the Education Act 1996, leading to a fine of up to £2,500 and/or a custodial sentence. Again, Cornwall Council may also apply for the costs incurred in taking the matter to Court, including legal costs.

Money raised from fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.

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