Cranborne CEFirst School and Nursery

At school, we use a phased approach to teaching writing in English, which always begins with engagement. Our young designers kicked off their new writing unit with an exciting robot themed engagement lesson that sparked curiosity, fun and plenty of vocabulary! To build background knowledge for the quality text we will write, the children began with a hook activity, designing and presenting their very own robot. They examined real world images and imagined how their creations might move and solve problems.The enthusiasm in the room was incredible -so many inventive designs which were all unique! Looking forward to seeing how this inspiration shapes their explanations next. .

Feeling grateful for another uplifting worship assembly in school today. Keith Jewell shared the powerful story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, reminding us what courage, faith and truthfulness can look like even in the toughest moments. The children listened beautifully, and the whole hall felt brighter for it. We've also been blessed by visit from the Open the Book team last week, who brought to life the story of Jesus calming the storm, following his messages about lilies in the field, and trusting that we are cared for. The children were captivated and the storytelling sparked so many thoughtful conversations. Moments like these enrich our school community, helping us grow in wisdom, kindness, and confidence together. Love, hope & wisdom

I am delighted to share that our children had a wonderful time walking around the village, delivering our Shroving posies! A big well done to our Fledglings and Wrenbirds for taking part in this lovely tradition of Shroving. Through their kind acts, our little unit helped to spread care and joy this Spring by delivering flowers and posies to some of our local residents and esteemed members of our community that we all love and admire. It's moments like these that truly warm our hearts and showcase the spirit of our school. Thank you for your continued support in nurturing such wonderful values in our pupils.

In art this week we experimented making tertiary colours and sketching Cranborne landscapes, learning what a foreground and background is.

Our class had the absolute joy of taking part in a fantastic singing workshop with Cathy Murray today, and the buzz is still in the air! You can see how focused the children are. We learned a wonderful selection of songs that we will soon have the chance to perform... One of the highlights was working on the powerful anthem 'Something inside so Strong.' Even without quoting the lyrics, you can imagine the impact it had. Its message of resilience and unity resonated beautifully with the whole class. Workshops like this remind us how music brings people together, builds confidence and gives every chance child a chance to shine!

What lovely array work in maths, finding factors in multiplication!

A very wet afternoon outside, but Crane class were cosy indoors, building on their sketchbooks, exploring the work of Vanessa Gardiner, a wonderful landscape artist. We took visual notes, exploring the colours she likes to use, and the shapes she abstracts by. Wonderful work!

I want to extend a big thank you to all the children who took part in the colouring competition last week. Your creativity and enthusiasm were such a joy to see! Congratulations to our lucky winners! They will now have the wonderful opportunity to see the pantomime - Beauty & the Beast at the Edmondsham Village Hut during the Half Term. We're so excited for them to enjoy this fabulous show! Once again, thank you to everyone who participated.

At the start of a new art unit, it was lovely for the children to get out their sketchbooks to review their progress and success in our last unit. Here are some of their gorgeous still life drawings of bottles and cans, noticing tone and shade with observational drawing in pen, ink and pencil. We will be looking at landscapes and city scape artists this term.

I wanted to share some wonderful learning that took place in Robin Class recently. The children had a great time exploring the differences between evergreen and deciduous trees. They were particularly excited to describe how evergreen leaves remain green throughout the year, while deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn. It's fascinating to see how much they are learning about nature and the changing seasons! We're so proud of their curiosity and engagement with the topic!

Thank you Mrs Faithfull for a lovely worship this morning, on our Christian value for this term on Truthfulness! We shared the story of 'The boy who cried wolf.' Some lovely ideas from the children in response.... 'The boy told 2 lies, when he told the truth he wasn't believed any more.', 'Trust is like a bowl of water, the more you take (by lying) the less there is,' and 'Their trust was broken.'

A quick snap in our maths lesson this morning. One of the most exciting things we see is that moment when children suddenly spot a pattern and everything clicks. This week, our learners have been exploring multiplication in a deeper way: noticing how numbers repeat, how groups build, and how those same patterns help them understand division. When children realise that multiplication and division are connected, they're not just memorising facts they're building real number sense. They're learning to think flexibly, solve problems with confidence, and make links that will support them all the way through school. Well done Crane Class!

This week in science we collected our plant (cress seedlings) experiments that had been dotted around the school to collate our results. we observed the leaves and measured the growth. The children recorded their results using bar charts and photographs. Excellent work Cranes!

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the wonderful children who received their Reading Award in Worship this morning! We hope you enjoy diving into your new books at home. Remember, the more you read, the more stickers you will collect, and that means you will be on your way to receiving a lovely new book! Happy reading, and keep up the incredible work!

On Wednesday, our little explorers took a delightful walk around the village, focusing on all the wonderful local landmarks. One highlight was catching a glimpse of the Fire Engine peeking through the windows of the Fire Stationwhat a thrill for the children! It's so important for our youngsters to learn about their community, and seeing these landmarks in person makes their understanding come to life.