The new school year at Millfield has started well and we have welcomed some new members of staff. Ms Dutton and Ms Sibson have joined key stage 1, while Ms Rush and Ms Wright have joined key stage 2. Despite being on maternity leave, Ms Ashley keeps popping in which is lovely – time will fly and she will soon be back! It is with sadness that we said ‘good-bye’ at the October half term to Ms Ashby who led PE at Millfield; she was a great PE leader and through her work, the children had some wonderful opportunities and the School retained its Gold School Games Award. I know she was very sad to leave us as she often described her role as her ‘dream job’ but extended family circumstances meant she needed to focus on matters closer to home – we send her our best wishes.
Soon into the year, Year 6 children took part in a residential visit to PGL Caythorpe in Lincolnshire. We have been a number of times and it never ceases to amaze me how very different children can be, when away from school and home – those who you think might not enjoy such physical activity absolutely thrive on it and those parents who say their child ‘won’t eat this, won’t eat that’ and even send them with a box of the sort of food they will eat as they are allegedly so fussy, well, all I can say is, it’s amazing what long days of physical activity out in the fresh air can do for their appetites! Year 4 this year went to Whitwell and had another great time taking part in adventurous activities and sleeping under canvas.
These residential visits couldn’t happen without the commitment from staff and this year’s Y4 trip was particularly memorable for 2 teachers – neither has a fond relationship with spiders so when a colleague placed a large plastic spider in one of their sleeping bags, it didn’t go down well! Apparently, it really did move… That’s imagination and a dark tent for you! Revenge was served in the form of filling the joker’s car with shredded paper!
A growing strength in the school is Forest School. Millfield is blessed with fantastic grounds and, unlike some schools that have to use a designated and fenced off area, children at Millfield use the whole site for Forest School. A big thank you must go to parents who come to help with this activity.
There have also been visits this term with a historical focus. Years 5 and 6 visited Sutton Hoo and Years 3 and 4 spent time in Cambridge at the Zoology and Archaeology Museums.