Preston Primary School

Year 5 had a fantastic secondary school taster day at Torquay Academy this week. The pupils took part in a range of workshops, including a science session where they created elephant toothpaste, and a food technology lesson where they made cookies.
It was also wonderful to see so many children engaging with the creative arts. Some children were invited into a digital music workshop where they developed different looping music on the software available at the school.
Many thanks must go out to the staff at TA who did their very best to create a day that was both engaging and memorable.
Our strong partnership with our local secondary schools provides valuable opportunities like this, helping to broaden our children’s horizons and give them a glimpse into their future learning.

What an incredible week! The final day of our Sponsored Swim challenge did not fail to deliver. Some of today’s swimmers were the youngest in the school but they showed up with determination and excitement. Puffins and Penguins completed an impressive 440 lengths. The final class, Kestrels, were determined to finish the event with an impressive performance. They completed an amazing 853 lengths bringing our grand total today to an impressive 1293 lengths!
Over the five-day challenge, the children collectively swam 6405 lengths, the equivalent of almost 12 crossings of the bay. This is an incredible achievement; we are so proud of every single child.
It has been a memorable event filled with music, laughter, smiles, inspiration, and an incredible sense of community. Most importantly, the children have demonstrated determination, resilience, and teamwork throughout the week, and all for a fantastic cause.
Thank you to our House Captains and Sports Ambassadors. Throughout the week, they have been outstanding role models, helping to organise the event, motivate swimmers, and record the thousands of lengths completed. Their dedication and teamwork have contributed enormously to the success of the Sponsored Swim, and they should be very proud of the important role they have played.
Finally, we would like to extend a huge thank you to all the families, friends, and supporters who have sponsored our swimmers and helped us raise money for our school pool. Every length swum and every pound donated will make a real difference. We could not be prouder of our pupils. Well done, everyone!

This week was drowning prevention week and Preston Primary School are proud to support the campaign. As a school fortunate enough to have its own swimming pool, water safety is something we take very seriously and is a key part of our swimming curriculum.
Throughout swimming lessons, children learn essential water safety skills alongside developing their confidence and swimming ability. They are taught how to stay safe in and around water, recognise potential dangers, and know what to do in an emergency.
As part of Drowning Prevention Week, we are reminding children and families about the RLSS Water Safety Code:
https://www.rlss.org.uk/listing/category/the-water-safety-code
Stop and Think – Take time to assess your surroundings, look for dangers, and follow local safety advice.
Stay Together – When around water, always go with friends or family. Swim at a lifeguarded venue.
Call 999 – In an emergency, call 999. At the coast, ask for the Coastguard. Never enter the water to attempt a rescue yourself.
Float – If you fall into water unexpectedly or become tired, stay calm, float on your back, and call for help.
Living in Torbay, with our beautiful beaches, coastline, and waterways nearby, these are particularly important messages for our children to understand. We encourage all families to talk about the Water Safety Code at home and help children remember these four simple steps that could one day save a life.
At Preston Primary, we are committed to helping every child become a confident swimmer and a safe, responsible user of water.

Children in Snowy Owls had a fantastic day at the striking and fielding festival at Paignton Academy this week. They represented the school brilliantly, showing great respect to the leaders and listening carefully to the Sports Ambassadors who supported them. This links to our 30 Ways to Connect focus number 12, “Represent the school.”They also demonstrated our School Value of Teamwork, working together and encouraging one another as they enjoyed the activities.Well done, Snowy Owls, and a big thank you to Barnaby and Tobi, our Sports Ambassadors, for joining and supporting us!

Sponsored Swim – Day 4 Update
The finish line is now in sight! Today was a busy day in the pool. The swimmers worked incredibly hard and continued to build on the fantastic efforts of the rest of the school.
A huge well done to Barn Owls who completed the equivalent of 10 lengths and had lots of fun. Woodpeckers completed an incredible 420 lengths and even got the teachers swimming to help contribute! This is a fantastic achievement and a great example of everyone being able to take part.
Well done also to Little Owls who swam 533 lengths and Sparrows who completed 954 lengths. Collectively they add an impressive 1917 lengths to our total.
This means our overall total now stands at an incredible 5112 lengths, which is 9.5 bay crossings!
With one final day remaining, we are excited to see just how many bay crossings we can complete together. Thank you to everyone who has supported this fantastic fundraising effort.

Unit 2 were delighted to welcome Mr Henderson into school to talk to the children about his role in construction and construction safety. This visit linked brilliantly with our 30 Ways to Connect activity number 15 – ‘Listen to a visiting speaker’ - giving pupils the chance to learn more about the wider world by hearing from an expert in their field.
Mr Henderson started by explaining what construction is and what a construction site looks like. The children then explored how to stay safe on site, learning about the importance of PPE and how to spot potential hazards. They were particularly interested in this aspect and were keen to ask questions and share their ideas about staying safe.
He also highlighted the many different jobs within the construction industry, bringing our school aim of ‘Ready for Work’ to life. By introducing roles such as architects, builders, and machine operators, he helped to broaden the children’s horizons and show them the variety of opportunities available. The pupils were especially engaged when learning about the key skills needed for the workplace, such as teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving, many of which link closely to our School Values.
It was a fantastic opportunity to connect learning to the real world, and the children came away feeling inspired and excited about what their futures might hold.
A huge thank you to Mr Henderson for such an interesting and engaging visit!

Sponsored Swim - Halfway Update!
We have now reached the halfway point of our Sponsored Swim challenge and what an achievement it has been so far!
Today, Starlings swam 449 lengths and Swifts completed 692 lengths, adding an impressive 1141 lengths to our total.
Across the first three days, the children have now completed 3195 lengths. This means we have swum the equivalent of almost 6 crossings of the bay!
Not only are the children making fantastic progress in the pool, but our sponsorship total continues to rise for this amazing cause. We are delighted to share that we have now raised in excess of £3000 and exceeded our original target. Thank you to everyone who has sponsored so far – your generosity and encouragement are helping to motivate the children as they take on this challenge.
The determination, encouragement and team spirit shown by the children has been outstanding. We are incredibly proud of every swimmer and look forward to the final two days of the challenge.

An Incredible Fundraising Milestone!
We are absolutely delighted to share that we have just broken our £3,000 fundraising target for our Sponsored Swim!
We have been truly overwhelmed by the incredible generosity and support shown by our families, friends, and wider community. Thanks to your kindness, we have already raised an amazing amount that will help us continue to improve and develop our much-loved swimming pool.
We are incredibly proud of our children. They have shown such dedication and determination towards the challenge. The enthusiasm and buzz around school this week is wonderful. Their effort, commitment, and willingness to challenge themselves has been inspiring. We are looking forward to the final three days.
With the Sponsored Swim still underway and sponsorship continuing to come in, we are excited to see how much more we can raise together. Every donation makes a difference and helps secure the future of this valuable resource for our children.
Thank you to everyone who has sponsored, supported, and encouraged our swimmers so far. This achievement is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when our school community comes together!

Sponsored Swim – Day 2 Update
Another brilliant day in the pool! The children gave their all, showing fantastic perseverance and determination as they added even more lengths to our collective total. The excitement is really building, with a friendly competitive spirit emerging as classes try to beat one another's totals and contribute as many lengths as possible to our overall challenge.
Today, Tawny Owls completed 355 lengths and Eagles achieved 814 lengths!
Today's total of 1,169 lengths brings our collective challenge total to 2,054 lengths. We have now travelled the equivalent of over three crossings of the bay so far.
The children have loved swimming to the music and cheering one another on. Thank you for your continued support and sponsorship. We are making fantastic progress.

Our Year 3/4 girls represented the school brilliantly at the Saints Southwest Bradfords Primary School Community Cup tournament. Throughout the day, the team demonstrated excellent determination, teamwork, and sportsmanship, competing against a range of strong opposition.
The girls enjoyed some fantastic results in the group stages, including an impressive 4-0 victory against St Michaels. They also battled hard in closely contested matches, earning a mixture of draws and defeats. Although they narrowly missed out on a place in the Cup competition, their performances secured a well-deserved place in the Plate competition.
The team continued to grow in confidence as the tournament progressed. In a tense Plate semi-final, they showed great resilience to secure a 1-0 victory over Oldway, booking their place in the final. The girls then produced another outstanding performance against Chudleigh, winning the final to become Plate champions!
This was a fantastic achievement and a testament to the girls' determination, teamwork, and positive attitude throughout the tournament. They should be extremely proud of their efforts and the way they represented the school. Well done, girls!