Latest news
12 Apr 2019
Viking Invasion
As part of their ‘Vicious Viking’ Celebration Day, pupils in Classes 4,5 and 6 were put to the test to see if any of them would make worthy Viking Warriors! Dressed as Vikings themselves, pupils tested out some weapons and armour, made Viking jewellery, baked a Viking loaf, made ... (click to read more)
12 Apr 2019
The Bikeability 'L' Plates Are Off!
Congratulations to those pupils in Year 5 who successfully passed their Level 1 and 2 Bikeability training in April. We were very proud of their achievements, and especially pleased that the trainers made reference to their superb behaviour and listening skills! In fact, they told us that they were ... (click to read more)
11 Apr 2019
A Massive Thank You
We are exceptionally grateful to the Winvic Construction Team currently based in Castle Donington for their very generous donation to the school of both their time and resources … putting up sheds, building a new fence, donating gravel for the gardening area, providing ‘mini-builders’ construction equipment for pupils in ... (click to read more)
09 Apr 2019
Chocolate Raffle
Tickets for the chocolate raffle sold ‘eggstremely’ well and a total of £220 was raised for school funds. We had over 70 winners this year! Wards Skips very kindly donated 30 Easter Eggs acquired through Thorntons - the generosity of both companies was very much appreciated. The remainder were donated ... (click to read more)
09 Apr 2019
Aeropark Visit
To round off their ‘Adventure is Out There’ topic, pupils in Key Stage 1 visited Donington’s Aeropark to study the preserved planes of yesteryear and watch the modern airliners of today taking-off and landing at the passenger and cargo airport. They had a wonderful time exploring the planes ‘up-close’ (the ... (click to read more)
08 Apr 2019
The Great Orchard Spring Clean
Thank you to those staff, parents and grandparents who gave up their Saturday to tidy up the school grounds. The makeover included a lot of sweeping of leaves (!), weeding and general repair work. We can’t thank the volunteers enough - their hard work was really appreciated and the grounds ... (click to read more)
01 Apr 2019
Bouncing Bunnies
Thank you to the PTA for running ‘Bouncing Bunnies’. The winners from each class will each receive an Easter Egg! ... (click to read more)
29 Mar 2019
Comic Relief
Thank you to parents and pupils who donated cakes for the Red Nose Day appeal. The School Council organised the sale brilliantly, and together with none uniform contributions, the school raised £340.50 for Comic Relief. ... (click to read more)
28 Mar 2019
Outdoor Learning Event at Nottingham Trent University
Pupils in Y5 had a wonderful time at Nottingham Trent University as they undertook a variety of outdoor learning experiences. ... (click to read more)
26 Mar 2019
Mother’s Day Thank You Afternoon
It was lovely to see so many mums, grandmas and other special family members in school for our special ‘Mother’s Day Thank You’ afternoon, organised by the PTA. We really hope you enjoyed the refreshments on offer. ... (click to read more)
25 Mar 2019
Year 3 Residential to Beaumanor Hall
Year pupils had a wonderful time on their residential visit to Beaumanor Hall and returned to school absolutely buzzing about the amazing activities they had participated in. Thank you so much to the staff who accompanied the children for the two days. It was much appreciated. ... (click to read more)
24 Mar 2019
Rolls Royce Design Challenge
Twelve pupils from Orchard were joined by teams from Shardlow and Weston on Trent Primary School to undertake an exceptionally challenging design project set by volunteers from Rolls Royce. Taking place at the weekend, pupils were set the task of creating a boat lift that would carry a number ... (click to read more)
18 Mar 2019
Donington Dynamos
Well done to all of the pupils who took part in the Donington Dynamos session for budding writers. Pupils produced some beautiful poems inspired by Miroslav Holob’s ’The Door’. ... (click to read more)
18 Mar 2019
Spellathon
Congratulations to Coppice House Team for winning the Spellathon. They will be treated to a special Golden Afternoon in the Summer Term as a reward. The results were as follows: Coppice 1791 points; Redgate 1752 points; McLeans 1742 points; Wheatcroft 1677 points. Well done all. Thank you to those ... (click to read more)
18 Mar 2019
Sports News
The Ivanhoe Challenge proved to be a great day for Orchard pupils, as did the cross-country event at Grace Dieu where the school achieved first place in the girls’ event. The cross-country team also took part in the regional qualifiers held at Charnwood College where eight of our runners qualified ... (click to read more)
15 Mar 2019
Film Night
Thank you to the PTA for providing the refreshments for Film Night. It proved to be a huge success, with over £400 being raised by the PTA from this event. ... (click to read more)
14 Mar 2019
Literacy Week
Pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed the range of activities and special events on offer during our fantastic Literacy Week. From Drop Everything And Read sessions, to storytelling; an author visit to ‘Shelfies’; Buddy Reading in PJs to ’Extreme Reading’, and of course, ‘The Great Orchard Book Swap’. There really was ... (click to read more)
14 Mar 2019
World Book Day
Another fantastic World Book Day was had by all! The children looked wonderful in their costumes and KS1 pupils thoroughly enjoyed their special assembly as well as book themed activities completed back in class. Thank you parents for all of your support with this special day. ... (click to read more)
11 Mar 2019
Rotary Club Music Festival
We are very proud of our school choir who, after winning the choir section of this year’s Rotary Club Music Festival, performed at the Methodist Church on Saturday 9th March. A huge well done to you all for your fabulous performance. It was a perfect example of how special ... (click to read more)
01 Mar 2019
Children in Years 5 & 6 Become Greeks For The Day!
Children in Years 5 & 6 have enjoyed an Ancient-Greece inspired day, complete with a Greek banquet and mini-olympics. A wonderful way to end what has been a fantastic topic! ... (click to read more)
01 Mar 2019
Show Choir Sing to Victory!
Congratulations to our school choir who won the choir section of this year’s Rotary Club Music Festival this morning. We couldn’t be more proud of your dedication, teamwork and enthusiasm. A huge 'well done' to you all! ... (click to read more)
25 Feb 2019
Activity Passport
The Education Secretary has launched a new “passport” of activities for Primary school children to challenge them to go on a nature trail, visit a local landmark or make a treasure map to encourage more family time and help build children’s character and resilience. Activities are split into year groups and ... (click to read more)
25 Feb 2019
Keeping Safe Week (4th - 8th February)
To celebrate Safer Internet Day, which is celebrated globally in February each year, pupils took part in a range of activities to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology. In a special assembly, Mr Patching highlighted the positive uses of technology and encouraged pupils to explore the ... (click to read more)
25 Feb 2019
Sporting New - Spring Term A
A group of Y2 pupils had a super time at the Charnwood Schools Multi-Skills Festival where they had their very first opportunity to take part in an exciting, off-site sports festival. The festival focused on pupils doing their personal best, and having fun, whilst working with pupils from other schools. We ... (click to read more)
25 Feb 2019
The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch
Mrs McGravie braved a very cold and wet afternoon, along with various groups of pupils, to undertake the 2019 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. They had a great time completing the survey and have concluded that there are a lot of pigeons living in Castle Donington! ... (click to read more)
