What's On?

Equality and Diversity

What's On?
Our children and young people live in a diverse society in 21st century Cornwall. Penponds Primary School is committed to creating an environment for the whole school community that demonstrates shared values of inclusion, equality, fairness and respect. Our school recognises and celebrates difference within a culture of respect and fairness, and aims to meet the needs and rights of every child as detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We support all children and staff through our vision of 'Aiming High and Achieving Our Best' to ensure all can flourish during their time at Penponds.
 
This year we are focusing on our school specific objective – Each curriculum subject or area is planned to maximise opportunities to represent diversity, challenge stereotypes, raise aspirations, promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and foster good relations.

Why we have chosen this objective:

To ensure children’s curriculum experience is strategically broadened and diversity regularly celebrated (or normalised). So that all children see themselves/their heritage reflected positively and to confirm our curriculum’s unconscious bias is challenged.

To achieve this objective, we plan to:

Review Reading Spine across the school to ensure diversity is reflected positively and key people of study throughout topic learning reflects diversity.

Highlight and mark national events such as Black History Month, LGBT history month, religious celebrations, Windrush.

Support and become part of Black Voices Cornwall to develop the curriculum across Cornwall.

Maintain teaching of Children’s Rights as detailed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

PSHE curriculum to be continually reviewed and ensure all are reflected in our teaching.

We will update below throughout the year with celebrations of our achievements towards this.

What's been going on at Penponds?
Equality for ALL - Special Visitor - Jessica Roper
 
We were very excited to welcome top athlete Jessica Roper, GB Kickboxing Champion to Penponds School on Wednesday, 15 March 2023.
Jessica led a sponsored fitness circuit with all pupils and followed-up with an inspirational assembly, and question and answer session. The aim of the event was to inspire the children to be more physically active, but just as importantly, encourage them to discover and pursue their passion in life. Jess discussed the challenges of being a woman in the field of kickboxing - but nothing stopped her!
The event both connected the children to an extraordinary athlete role model and raised money to improve physical activity in the school, while also supporting both athletes and para-athletes, so that they can continue to inspire the next generation.
Thank you to all the families who sponsored the children in the worthwhile event.
 
Pull up your Odd Socks for World Down Syndrome Awareness Day!

On Tuesday 21st March we wore odd socks to school with our uniforms to raise awareness for Down Syndrome. Odd socks were chosen as a symbol by World Down Syndrome Day, because chromosomes are shaped like socks, and those with Down Syndrome have an extra one.
 
We 'Rocked our Socks!'
This day holds a very special place for Penponds and our families. 
LGBT History Month
 
February is LGBT History month and we marked this in Penponds through a collective piece of work across the school. 
All classes studied the story 'And Tango Makes Three' and responded to their learning in their own way to create collaborative display in the hall.
Carn Brea class created family portraits within an egg to link to the story, Godolphin class designed a new family that looks different to their own family, Trencrom class innovated the story of And Tango Makes Three and created zig-zag books and Tregonning class looked into the controversy surrounding this book when it was first published in the USA. 
Once the display is complete we will share it below- so watch this space!
Black Voices Cornwall
 
Exciting News! Mrs Richards, our wonderful RE Lead, had had her first working session to support the curriculum development in Cornwall with Black Voices Cornwall!
 
This is a three year project to ensure equality and diversity is positively represented throughout the taught curriculum in Cornwall. We are so proud that Mrs Richards is supporting this and we cannot wait to see what work we can begin as as school!
All Children have the Right to Rights!
 
February 2023 - Trencrom Class - Fundraiser for Shelter Box - Turkey & Syria Appeal
After the recent tragic events in Eastern Turkey and Northern Syria, Trencrom Class decided to organise a school fundraiser. The children have been moved by this tragic event and as they are currently studying about natural disasters and have also had a recent visit from Shelter Box, they felt empowered to do something to help.
Trencrom have truly lived out their right to a voice (which is one of our school focused rights) and approached Mrs Bailey to organise an event. They want to ensure that other children across the world are receiving their rights, who after a tragic event such as this, are probably not receiving all of their rights, such as the right to nutritious food, clean water, healthcare, shelter even the right to relax and play.
Therefore, they planned a day of fundraising activities which was held on Wednesday 22nd February.
On this day, all children across the school were asked to bring in some loose change to spend on games and stalls organised by Trencrom. Games cost between 20p-50p per go.
All children across the school were invited to wear green non-uniform on this day too. This could be from head to toe in green or just an item of green. Those wishing to take part in 'wear green' donated £1.
All money raised has gone towards the Shelter Box Appeal for Turkey and Syria. The grand total will be announced shortly.
After school, there was a cake sale too.
Thank you so much for supporting Trencrom Class in this worthy cause. We are so proud of them putting others before themselves and seeing that all are equal and should receive their rights. Well done Trencrom!
 
A word from the children:

As you know your children were invited to wear green.  The money your child brought in was to help Shelterbox.  We had stalls and games like books, crafts and toys.  It was very busy and by the end there was not a lot left at all.  Trencrom class hosted this event on Wednesday 22nd of February 2023.  The first class to come was Godolphin.  And then Year 6 and Reception.  The games outside were Penalty Shoot-out, Skittles and Hook a Duck.  Me, Ia and Orla ran the craft stall.  I set up and totally ran the book stall.  By Emily C

 

At Penponds School we raised lots and lots of money for Shelterbox.  Trencrom class designed a game stall for two people.  This happened on Wednesday 22nd February 2023.  There was a Can Toss by me and Logan, Hook A Duck by Orrin and Bert and a Penalty Shoot out by Caleb, Joel and Elffin outside and some more stalls inside.  By Keegan

 

On fund raising day it was fun because you can set up stalls and buy stuff for 20p-50p.  People can play your games but if you wanted to buy something a person had to stay at the stall.  The other classes came to all stalls after lunch.  The money was for Shelterbox.  Shelterbox is a charity.  So we set up the stalls so we could raise money for Shelterbox.  Shelterbox is like if your house got destroyed by natural disaster they will give you a shelter box of shelter kit but they need money to buy the stuff that’s why we are going to give money to Shelterbox.  By Seb

 

On the 22nd of February 2023 Trencrom Class had a fund-raising day to raise money for Shelterbox, a company that send boxes to places that a disaster has destroyed their homes.  These boxes provided everything they need to survive with a home.  We had craft, book and toys stalls and lots and lots of games!  Our goal was to make £160 (enough money to buy two shelter boxes) but everyone thinks we earned more!  People sold their old stuff in order to recycle.  Some people even made stuff or set up activities!  We had Year 6, Year 1 and 2 and Reception in to do our activities and it was very busy!  Every child in Penponds School was invited to wear green and bring in £1.  We also had a cake sale after school in the bike shed.  We had a Can Toss, Hook a Duck and loads of other games but most people were just interested in the lollypops!  By Ia

See below for photos of the fundraising day. The grand total (and there was still money coming in...) is £410!
Rainbow Holi Red Nose and Spoon Race
 
We were due to be fundraising like the rest of the country for Comic Relief a few weeks ago, but as so many children and staff were not able to be in school due to illness, we decided to postpone it to Friday 1st April – we didn’t want so many missing the fun!
We decided to mark our Comic Relief Fundraising with also marking the Hindu festival of Holi. Many of our children have been learning about Hinduism in their RE lessons and we felt that we would try and mark both events together. Holi is the festival of love, colours and spring and it is traditionally celebrated by people getting very colourful by throwing powder paint and getting very messy and colourful! The One Show took part in the Red Nose and Spoon Race Challenge and we felt that we could do our own version in school and link it to learning about Holi too.
See our photos below to see us experiencing world faiths first hand or first paint throw!
Assembly - Creativity and Benjamin Zephaniah
 
We shared this wonderful video in assembly My Birmingham Story - Benjamin Zephaniah - see below. Benjamin is celebrated poet, writer, lyricist, musician and self confessed 'naughty boy'. He speaks about his experiences (living in Birmingham, getting in trouble, learning to read, finding out about being dyslexic and how the best way to travel is not by car, boat, bicycle or aeroplane but by travelling by book!) This assembly and following work focused on 'nothing holds back creativity', the right to be the best you can be, the right to relax and play and loving our school vision, Aiming High and Achieving Our Best, by being inspired by this great story.
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