The Builders have worked hard to create a splendid new learning space in what used to be an unusable outdoor courtyard …. great timing as we need more space than every with our catch up sessions now in full swing as well as the peri music staff back in school AND the learning bubbles.

We started with pre planning ideas through the Peak Park and the Council about 4 years ago and consultations with parents, governors, architects and of course we started talking about it with the PTFA.

Helped by a local retired architect the Governors and Mrs Gilbertson finally got the project off the ground in the late Autumn of 2019 and worked together to select a local Architect firm, Smith and Roper of Bakewell. Due to start in July Mrs Gilbertson and the architect battled against growing Covid restrictions to compile tender documents, hold on line meetings with the Premises Committee and  select a builder, NSJ who assured us that they could make a start even with the restricted access through the side walk through.

Lockdown struck teh country and the team held their breathe as contractors were told to stay home and supplies for windows and cement ran low across the country……… We did manage to start on time and the constant trickle of vans and yellow hats have been working hard over the entire Summer break. All was going well until we found rotten lintels above the big old gable windows in Hedgehog class …….so work stopped for 2 weeks whilst a solution could be found – such bad timing as it meant the build was not ready for the start of term!

Its been noisy start of term as they tackled the un-foreseen issues, replacing them with steels and having to build supportive columns and as you see put through needles to hold up the gable end. It was hot and tricky but thanks to the skill and careful planning all went well.

Finally as September draws to a close we are almost ready to unveil our new space – this week its been very hectic with electricians,  plumbers, plasterers and even parents starting to paint…….. Can you help to finish the decorating before the carpet arrives?

If you wish to donate towards this amazing learning space then you can! Use the QR code below to get to our fundraising page. OR in the next week we will have restarted our ‘Raise the roof’ campaign where you can buy a family or business musical note to join our wall of music – these range form £20 to £100 and are inscribed with the donators name.

We have been asking the children to think about how they felt during lockdown when they were at home.

What did they enjoy during this time? what made them feel happy and why? Did they learn new things or find that they liked things they’d not done before?

We also asked what couldn’t they do and why and how that made them feel. What made them frustrated and sad and if this had also made them more resilient.

This created an opportunity to practise talking to each other about their feelings – some people find this hard but we do get better at it if we are given the words to use and time to practise. Mrs Gilbertson always likens it to her poor football skills – she never played as a child and so is really rubbish! However she is determined that her children at Eyam will get time to learn the skills of talking and listening and finding the words to talk about how they feel.

Eyam is pleased to say a happy hello to several new families and of course our special reception children. They have all made a great start and already started to make friends in their new classes.

Its good to have new faces in the juniors as we remember how to make others feel welcome – this year it feels as if many children are new after so long out of school!

 Welcome to new families

Reception have made a flying start and enjoyed exploring the outdoors in the super Autumn sunshine. Its been lovely to meet new parents in the playground – we hope you will join our zoom PTFA meetings this half term!

   New Reception children exploring the grounds

Whether its lunch, worship, learning, playtime, PE, maths and reading – its all going ahead if a little differently. The children are adapting really well, the staff are so proud of you – thank you for arriving everyday with a smile.

We always start the year with a staff snap and this year we enjoyed coffee in our beautiful wild fower meadow that we planted during lockdown – its our thankyou to the NHS and thank you to staff for supporting those families throughout lockdown.

Good luck to everyone as they return to school

What a year to remember 2020

Here are our Leavers with their hoodies!

Celebrating with our last Forest school afternoon

   How many y6s can you spot?

Transition this year took place via zoom and web based drone videos!

Our fabulous tea party presentation of ‘The Great realisation’ by Tom Foolery – the older pupils dramatised the poem showing great memory, co-ordination and team work, with evocative music by Lucas Gilbertson. We shared our memories, hopes and aspirations…..

The poem: The Great Realisation of 2020

Ice cream for those moving on including the significant y2s who will be Juniors in September!

Have a great time y6 being grown up and remember to take our values and our positive aspirations with you!

Enjoy a wonderful Summer everyone and we plan to see you ALL in September!

Celebrating sport is so important for the body and mind especially when you’ve been at home alot. Here are Y3-6 having a socially distanced and competitive afternoon of sport -not quite the usual but still good fun and full of sporting team spirit!

 Well done Pevril who won on the day! A big thanks for Mrs Gaywood who showed great determination to run all the Covid friendly events so effectively!

The youngest children were asked to create a time capsule back in May and to actually bury it in their gardens to be found in future years – to create a memory of 2020. The older pupils wrote about how Covid had effected them and their family’s lives during the Spring this year. We put this together for the Parish magazine in June.

Spring 2020 our lives changed – will it be forever?

At the start when we shut it was scary as no one knew who was going to save us from the virus. Are we going to survive? I had such mixed feelings

At the beginning home schooling was ok but then my brother needed more help and I had to work by myself, it was stressful. My parents worried about money and about homeschooling as were were all at different key stages  and they were working too. We used work that the teachers had put on the website for us. We also had Seesaw which is an online platform for sharing photos and videos of us doing keep fit or showing things we had made – as well as work.

For me it was ok because there was lots to do on the farm and I learnt new skills – I can’t help thinking about people who don’t have a garden to play in. I was worried about not seeing my Gran and Grandad – and the rest of my family. I was worried about my parents because I didn’t think they would get paid.

We heard the Prime Minister alot saying ‘stay home save lives!’ so we had to do that which meant we couldn’t see our friends. I was worried incase we got the virus when my Mum went shopping but she has been ok.

I liked being with my family and spending time playing games and being in the garden too.  I spent more time helping on the farm – I enjoyed using the machinery and doing jobs. Luckily i could go to school because my parents were key workers. We did online work and it was strange. I enjoyed being at home and being with my family – we did have some up and down moments! It was hard for my dad as he always had lots of important meetings and so he had to work all day even though he was at home. My Dad was furloughed and we are wondering when he might ever be at work again.

It was starting to get boring being at home but the best bit was zooming y6. Each week the Y6 lead their own baking zoom and we all made the things at home – we taught each other, it was my favourite thing in lockdown.

The news of school reopening for more children filled us with joy – the thought of normal life again. I was so excited about seeing my friends again.

I was worried about what games we might play at school and how we would manage to socially distance. It turns out that its ok – we all have our own pens and can’t share equipment and it feels different because we can’t work together on things or sit in groups – we all have our own desk. There are lines on the floor for lining up and lunch and breaks are at different times, the bubbles don’t mix. You wash your hands a lot and don’t get too close to others but really other than that its amazing!

In September we are going to new schools – it should be easier to socially distance because it’s a bigger school. There won’t be any assemblies or big gatherings and we might have to stay in the class all day.

Written by Y6 pupils 2020

There was more going on than just getting back to school……..we tried throughout Covid to ensure we’d posted resources onto the class pages that covered current affairs such as;

The benefit of lockdown to animals and wildlife – how did we feel about the quiet?

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Refugee Week

The children considered how it might feel to arrive in a new place  – we used some great resources which helped us to talk about empathy and sympathy and the children were able to watch videos through the eyes of a child. It was interesting to listen to the children exploring the idea that lockdown has prevented us from seeing our friends and family and that perhaps this helps us understand better how lonely it would be if you don’t have friends to talk to.

Written by a year one child ……..Dear God, Thank you for our lovely family. Please look after refugees and people that have had to leave their homes.  Amen

Black Lives Matter

Not only did we receive this excellent resource to share across the school. We were also sent a host of material that meant staff could show the children how many other people were concerned about this across the globe.

We discussed the meaning of significant words such as justice, racism, equality, rights and the effects of working together to raise important issues .  We reminded children that we’d learnt about significant women during the Autumn and that this current action was related to the work of Rosa Parks. The children also considered why we have statues and what they say about our history. There was plenty to discuss and we encouraged the children to realise that they too have a part to play in creating a safe place for others to live.

What a lot of regulations and measures and hoops but here were are back to teaching in school – whilst also continuing to set work and keep in touch with everyone at home too! Yes quite a challenge but the returning children were super and quickly settled into life with the new normal.

 sitting well apart ….. and working more independently

 The new scooters were a real hit!

Thanks to the lunch staff for ordering these in March!

Lots of visitors commented on our fabulous hand Steriloc sanitizer which kept the staff germ free – a massive thankyou for the generous donation.

We kept up with mindfulness activities, lots of outdoor learning, keep fit and of course hand washing!