Ferncumbe Friday

Friday 14th March 2025

Head’s Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a thrilling week we've had at our school! I'm so pleased to share with you the exciting happenings that have kept our pupils buzzing with enthusiasm.

On Tuesday, we had a towering visitor who left us all in awe. Paul Burgess, the basketball sensation from the Harlem Globetrotters, graced our school with his presence. Standing at a whopping 231.8cm tall, he certainly made me feel like smaller than normal! Our pupils were over the moon, and I must say, I was rather tickled to learn that Paul enjoys free first-class upgrades on flights due to his impressive stature. It's not every day we get to meet such a larger-than-life personality!

The sporting spirit continued to soar as we celebrated our Personal Best Day on Thursday. It was heartwarming to see our pupils pushing themselves to new heights, focusing on bettering their own achievements rather than competing against others. This ethos of self-improvement is something we're keen to nurture in all our young learners.

I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that our playground has had a marvellous makeover! The new markings, including a spanking new track for bikes and tricycles, have been a massive hit with the children. It's been a joy to watch them whizzing around, their faces lit up with pure delight.

I must give a hearty round of applause to our fantastic Friends of Ferncumbe (FOFs). Their tireless fundraising efforts are inching us ever closer to our target for the playground improvements. Your support in these endeavours is invaluable, and we're incredibly grateful for every contribution.

As we look ahead, I'm filled with excitement for the wonderful learning experiences and achievements that await us. Our school community continues to shine brightly, and it's a privilege to be part of such a vibrant and supportive environment.

Thank you all for your continued support and enthusiasm. Together, we're creating a school where every child can flourish and reach for the stars – even if they might not quite reach as high as Paul Burgess!

Sally Morris
Headteacher

look what’s happened to the playground…

It has been many months in the planning but we finally have our new playground markings. We have updated the sports courts, improved the road and added some new, brightly coloured games to the playground. It has brightened up the whole area and the children have been very excited to try it all out at playtime.

Girls football league

On Tuesday 4th March our Year 6 Girls football team took on their final fixtures in the Leamington FC Football League for this school year, and they did not disappoint. Going into the day they sat 2nd in their group of 8 schools, undefeated and 0 goals conceded!

Game 1 VS Long Itchington
The game kicked off and instantly the Ferncumbe girls were trying to get to every ball first. This led to a high pressure attacking display from our girls. As the game went on chances were few and far between however a quick, well thought kick-in was flicked on with a header from Pippa and Holly steered it in from close range, with some great positioning and finishing. The girls were able to see out the game and added another victory and clean sheet for Ferncumbe.

Game 2 VS Clapham Terrace
Once again straight from kick off, our girls went out with high intensity and pressured the opposition. Considering the size of the pitch being much larger than what they train on their football was immense, both with and without the ball. They used the width perfectly and got the ball forwards at every opportunity. After a very controlled game, goals from Tilly, Holly and Niamh (with a broken football boot!) secured a 3-0 win, yet another clean sheet!

Game 3 VS Newburgh Primary
The third and final game of the day, and the league as a whole came against Newburgh and it turned out to be a tough test. Their girls were up to the task of the physical battle that our Ferncumbe girls put up and the chances throughout the game were shared. However what split the teams was Ferncumbe's ability in front of goal. Shots came flying in from both sides but Darcey's tenacity set the teams apart by always following the ball in to try and get a goal. And it ended up resulting in 2 goals for her. As we entered the final minute the unbeaten streak with 0 goals conceded looked to continue until a powerful shot in the dying seconds came towards Anwyn's goal. However she was more than up to the task as she steered the ball away from our goal and the final whistle blew. 2-0 to Ferncumbe!

Overall the girls played exceptionally in all 3 of the final games and the performances kept on building after each fixture session. Every one of them played their part and they've flourished into wonderful footballers. Well done girls! Kyle (Sports coach)

paul sturgess causes a buzz

What a day! Our special visitor caused a buzz around school, felt by all! Paul Sturgess is 7ft 8in tall and is recognised as being the ‘Tallest Professional Basketball Player in the World’ and ‘Britain’s tallest man’. His enthusiasm to work with the children and his passion for basketball was incredible. Everyone across the school was beaming with excitement during their basketball session and meeting him around school. Each class were shown some films of his time with the famous Harlem Globetrotters, his fantastic World Record Certificates and told stories of his career. They then all tried some basketball skills and games along to some music. There was some fantastic feedback from the children and staff. We hope they all look after their photo and autograph as a memory to keep!

Honiley Class

HATTON CLASS

🏆 ARCHERY CHAMPIONS 🏆

Pupils from Key Stage 2 competed in an Archery competition at Campion School. Undertaking a range of events, they channeled their inner Robin Hood and showcased their fantastic skills. Once all the arrows were placed back in their quivers and the scores were totted up, the superstar team from The Ferncumbe had won by 37 points!! Their amazing efforts have won them a place in the County finals in April. We are incredibly proud of them for how well they have represented the school. They will now go on to the County Finals!

Personal Best Day

Thursday saw yet another fantastic sports event at Ferncumbe. Ali from Warwickshire Sports Partnership trained a new group of Year 5 sports leaders to guide the other year groups around a circus of activities, whereby every pupil would try to beat their personal best. From jumping and throwing, to stacking and lunging, all pupils in Years 2 to 6 had a brilliant session!

Honiley Class

World Book Day

Last week we celebrated World Book Day by cosying up in our pyjamas with our favourite books as well as sharing and discovering lots of new books we would like to read. Children in all year groups enjoyed testing their knowledge in a scavenger hunt around school and many children chose NOT to judge a book by its cover and unwrapped a mystery book from the library. Many thanks to parents who have treated us to new books from our Amazon wish list or donated pre-loved books to contribute to our library, your support is much appreciated.

Miss Reid

daffodil dissection

A fantastic science lesson learning about each part of a flowering plant. Wroxall have been learning about the process of Pollination so we dissected a daffodil to see each of the parts first hand. We carefully peeled off each part of the flower to help us understand the purpose of each aspect. Fantastic job Year 5!

A message from Reverand Ann

From Rev Ann our vicar,

I hope you all had a good half term break. My husband and I had a very exciting trip to Sierra Leone, and enjoyed visiting our link school in Bo with Miss Morris. You can all hear about the visit from Miss Morris at our Breakfast Church at Hatton church this Sunday (16th March) at 10 am. Come and have breakfast and enjoy singing songs we sing in school and hear about our link school.

We have lots of fun planned for Easter in our churches too - make sure you get them in your diaries, we’d love to see you there:

Sunday 13th March at 9.45 am Palm Sunday procession with donkey from school, followed by service in church.

Friday 18th March at 10.30-11.30 am Good Friday Families activities at Hatton Park Village Hall.

Sunday 20th March at 10am Easter Day Family service followed by Easter Egg Hunt at Hatton Church.

All welcome - we’d love to see you there. God bless Rev Ann