Devon Pupils Become Citizen Scientists in National Nature Parks Project   Children from Stoke Fleming, Blackawton, and Christow Primary Schools have become citizen scientists through the national education nature parks project, an initiative led by the Natural History Museum in London. As part of the project, pupils explored their school grounds to identify wildlife habitats and record their findings on the nature parks national database. The data will be used by scientists at the Natural History Museum to help build a clearer picture of how school sites across the country can support spaces for nature. The project comes at a critical time. England is recognised as one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, and experts agree that simply sustaining what remains is not enough and that regeneration is vital. The national education nature parks initiative aims to empower schools to understand and enhance their natural environments, starting with mapping and monitoring what already exists on their grounds. Momentum for the project will continue as pupils develop ideas to make their school sites even more nature friendly, taking active roles in designing and implementing initiatives that support biodiversity. Through this, they are not only contributing valuable data to national research but also becoming young guardians of wildlife and champions for environmental regeneration. Education South West aims for every school in the trust to embark on this nature recovery journey during this academic year, creating a legacy of environmental awareness and stewardship across its school communities. Tom Pether, Sustainability, Climate and Environment Education Resource Lead at Education South West, said: “It’s inspiring to see our pupils so engaged with nature and science. By exploring their school grounds and recording their findings, they are contributing real data to a national research project and helping to shape how schools across the country can support biodiversity. Projects like this empower children to see that they can make a real difference, not just locally, but nationally.” Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West, said: “This is a fantastic example of how education can connect learning with action. Our pupils aren’t just studying the environment, they’re actively helping to protect and restore it. We’re incredibly proud of the enthusiasm shown by our schools and look forward to seeing every Education South West school take part in this vital nature recovery journey.”    

Franken-Teddy Workshop  During a recent School Council meeting, Year 6 representative, Ernie, expressed his discontent with the toy industry and its approach towards mass production and inefficient recycling. We decided that we would like to do our bit to help. Starting with this workshop where children will be given the chance to give old and unwanted teddies a new lease of life by upcycling and redesigning. The hope is that this will inspire pupils to recycle toys where possible. The workshops were a great success. 

Hedgemoor Dental Visit  On Tuesday afternoon, Hedgemoor had a visit from Marsha, a dental nurse. She reminded us all about good tooth brushing habits and keeping our teeth healthy. We watched a fun video about Geoffrey the Giant who forgot to brush his teeth. His friends helped him to learn about healthy teeth habits. 

Scarecrow Making Afternoon Thank you to all the parents and family members who joined us to make scarecrows this afternoon. Great fun was had by all creating wonderful scarecrows with names and their own personalities!! Thank you to everyone who donated clothes, straw and their expertise to make sure this event was a success. If you would like to meet our scarecrows they will be displayed in the school playground next week.

Christow Year 6 SATs Success! We’re so proud of our incredible Year 6 pupils—100% met the Expected Standard in all subjects, and 100% achieved the combined Reading, Writing & Maths benchmark (vs. 62% nationally)! Even more amazing? Nearly 9 out of 10 reached Greater Depth in Reading, with many excelling across the board in all subjects. Their results reflect not only their hard work and determination, but also the dedication of our staff and support from families. What super stars!!!

Congratulations to Year 5 and 6 who successfully completed their Mini Police Course. Thank you to PC Dave for facilitating this excellent opportunity 

This year's school play has been kindly funded by the The Helen Foundation - a charity set up to enrich the experience of young people in the arts. Huge thank you to Paula and Rachel for their help with creating amazing costumes and a stunning back drop .  Tickets still available https://forms.office.com/e/3TN1T4wwh1

ESW Pupil Leadership Conference.  On Wednesday a group of pupils attended Kingsteignton Primary School for the ESW Pupil Leadership Conference 2025. Our school was represented by a House Captain, two School Councillors, a Year 6 Play Leader and our Year 4 Rights Respecting Ambassador. The pupils delivered a presentation about the work they do in schools and the impact that has both in and outside of our school community. The pupils listened to a Key Note speech from Matthew Shanks, ESW CEO and MP Martin Wrigley. They had the opportunity to speak to leaders in other primary schools and bring back ideas for how we can develop our leadership opportunities next year. 

School Council secure £250 for our new Reading Shed The Rotary Club have kindly agreed to fund the furniture and decorations which will make our reading shed an extra special place to read and relax at playtimes

On Wednesday, four Year 5 pupils went to Maynard School to take part in a Maths competition with other Year 5 pupils from Devon. Bella, Lily, Ernie and Rowan did incredibly well, getting into the top 5 in the first round of the competition and they remained there, despite some very stiff competition. They finished in 5th place out of 18 teams, which is a fantastic result.