Welcome to
The History of Holywell
Holywell Primary School opened in August 1968 and won awards
for its unusual honey-comb shaped classrooms. The first
Headteacher was Mr. Williams, then it was Mr. Sismey, Mrs.
Cunningham as acting head and now we have Mrs. Linnitt.
Holywell Primary School was intended as a two form entry infant
and junior school for 560 pupils -14 classes each with 40 pupils.
Now the classes have about 30 pupils each and there are just over
400 in the whole school.
Unfortunately, in 1989 the school
burnt down and only the ‘blue moon’
statue in the reception and the halls
were saved. The children had lessons
in mobile classrooms until the school
was rebuilt and reopened in 1991. We
are celebrating the 40th Anniversary
of the school in 2008.
A Map of Our School
The Legend of the ‘Holy Well’
Ever wondered why Holywell Primary School was called Holywell? No,
it wasn’t just someone who thought it was a good name. There is a
history behind Holywell’s name…
A local legend tells of a story which occurs in the 12th century. The
evil Lord Comyn of Whitwick (a place near Loughborough) once had
plenty of money but he spent it all. He really wanted to marry a
woman called Lady Alice, a rich widow who lived in nearby Groby Hall.
Lady Alice fled from her home, away from Lord Comyn of Whitwick,
into the forest where she collapsed by a hermitage. Luckily a group
of monks were walking past and they took her in and gave her water
from their well. Lady Alice was revived, which was a surprise because
all of the monks thought she would die. So the well, because it
belonged to the monks, was therefore thought of as the ‘Holy Well’.
Lady Alice later married Edward Grey of Bradgate Park. One of their
descendants was Lady Jane Grey, the nine day queen of England who
was executed in 1553.
Holywell School is built near the site of the holy well and was named
after it. Our uniform is blue, to represent the holy water and white,
to represent the robes of the monks.
Facilities at Holywell
Our school is on the edge of Loughborough town and we are lucky
to be surrounded by trees, fields and lots of wildlife. We have
lots of space to play outside and to watch the changing seasons.
Inside, the building is well looked after with lots of our work on
display to make it bright and cheerful.
Lots of changes have been made to the school to improve the
facilities and make it a really nice place for us to work. Recently
we have had new and bigger bike sheds, as more of our children
now cycle to school; we have cleared a section of woodland behind
the school to use as a nature reserve; we have an extension to our
library and new flat screen computers were fitted in the
I.C.T.suite.
We are proud of our school and like to welcome visitors to see it.
Our Classrooms
The school has 14 classrooms, (2 for each year) each fitted with
interactive white boards and 2 computers. The classrooms are
always bright with the children’s work and there are lots of
posters up too. The classrooms have lots of space and new blue
blinds.
Children start school when they
are 4 years old, in the Reception
Class. The classes then count
in year groups from 1 to 6.
The children leave school
when they are 11 years old.
The school is divided into 2
sections, Key Stage 1 (KS1)
for Reception,Year1 and
Year 2 and Key Stage 2 (KS2)
for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6.
The Halls
We have a large hall which can be divided into 2 rooms with
sliding doors. This is used for assemblies, P.E. lessons and clubs,
drama, school lunches and performances of plays.
The I.C.T. Suite
We have new computers, which were put in during the summer
holiday. There are 18 computers in the suite and they all have the
latest software. We also have 2 computers in each classroom which
are linked to our school network. There is an interactive white
board in the suite, which is linked to the computers, so that the
teacher can demonstrate what we have to do. On the computers, we
have lots of programmes that help us to learn. They teach us things
in a fun way.
When we go into the I.C.T suite,
we work with a partner, which
helps you to work well with other
children. We usually go into the
I.C.T. suite twice a week.
Our New Library
In our school we have a new extension to our library. The library
is big and has a good range of fiction and non-fiction books. An
electronic system has just been installed and we have to scan our
books and personal cards. We have to give the book back after
two weeks or renew it. We are allowed two books at a time.
The Craft Area
The craft area is where students do most of their art
and craft activities for their class. Year 6 do things like
Christmas decorations and Diwali divas (which are small
candles).
Mr French (The year 5 teacher) runs an art and craft
club which is fun!
Part of the area is for
cooking and classes work
in small groups to make
some tasty treats.
Our Playgrounds
We have two playgrounds, the KS1 playground and the KS2
playground. We have new equipment for us to play with at play
time. We have tennis rackets, balls, skipping ropes, French
skipping ropes and lots more. We have lots of fun with our
equipment. There is a sun shelter in each playground and
benches where we can sit to play games or chat to friends.
Our Playing Fields
Our field is at least half an acre long and is big enough for 2
football pitches or a 200m running track. We have a pavilion, a
trim trail to play on, a garden with a pond and a maze. We have
two seasons for games: football or rugby in the Autumn and
Spring and cricket and athletics in the Summer term.
The Maze
A maze is a bendy trail where you have to try and get into the middle.
The maze is by the KS1 playground but we all have chance to play
there.
Our maze is a home to lots of wildlife e.g. ladybirds and caterpillars.
There are lots of trees and plants in our maze.
The path includes stones, twigs and, at the moment, leaves! The maze
has 2 benches so people can sit and enjoy the scenery.
The maze is very confusing!
The maze is a fun place
to be, especially at this time
of year, because we can have
leaf fights!
Our Garden
Mr French set up our garden last year, with the help from a team of
volunteers. There are raised beds for each year group where we
learn how to plant vegetables and flowers and how to look after
them. We have a log pile to encourage hedgehogs and lots of rocks
to encourage mini-beasts to hide there. Soon we are going to have a
pond and hopefully frogs
and newts will make a
home there.
What subjects do we study at school?
At Holywell Primary School, our lessons are I.C.T.
(computers), Literacy, Numeracy, Handwriting, PPA art,
Religious Education, History, Science, Geography, Design
Technology, Art, Physical Education, Music and French
(for years 3, 4 and 5). They are all very interesting and
fun. We get to do experiments in Science that are very
exciting and get to make great things in Design
Technology. We have different topics and the subjects
are often joined together to make it more interesting.
We usually stay in our classroom and
have the same teacher but for PPA art,
handwriting and music we have different
teachers. We go to the computer suite
for I.C.T. and either outside or in the
hall for our P.E. lessons.
Our Daily Timetable
8:55 a.m. Our school starts with registration and a short
morning task that our teacher has set us.
9:10 a.m. We go to assembly for 20 minutes (except on
Thursday when we do circle time).
9:30 a.m. We have lessons like maths and English.
10:20a.m. We then go out to the playground for 20 minutes as
break.
10:35a.m. We have more lessons such as maths, English or PE.
12:10p.m. We go out to the playground and play until our bell
goes to call our year group to lunch. There are some
clubs on during lunch time.
1:15 p.m. We have lessons like science or topic work.
3:15 p.m. We go home. There are some clubs for children to
go to if they want to.
Activity clubs
We are very lucky to have a lot of different clubs at Holywell
which run at lunch time or after school. There are some for
sports, music, crafts and games so children can all find
something that they like. This is a list of some of our clubs:
Football
Chess
Netball
Digital photography
Basketball
School Council
Athletics
Pom-pom making
Cricket
D.T. club
Cross country
Yu-gi-oh cards
Dance
Tennis
Badminton
Sign language
Multi-skills Club
Recorders
Choir
Magazine club
Internet club
Music Lessons and Assemblies
A lot of children at Holywell learn to play musical instruments and
specialist teachers visit the school to teach them. There are
lessons for flute, clarinet, oboe, brass instruments, guitar, piano,
violin, cello, percussion and drums. Each half term, some of the
children perform in assembly. This year, all of the Year 3 pupils
are having lessons on the recorder.
A Wonderful Mix of Cultures
At Holywell there are
loads of people from
different cultures and
countries around the
world. There are some
from India, Iran,
Kuwait, Bangladesh,
China, Japan, Pakistan,
Germany, America,
Saudi-Arabia and many
other places.
Even though they are a
bit different we still
treat everyone the
same and like to learn
about their culture.
Special
and Celebrations
Each year
we haveEvents
a special ‘focus’
week
when all of the children in school have
different lessons, activities and visits
from people in our community. This year
we had a science week and had a great
time doing things like lots of fun
experiments, learnt about bees and
amphibians, made kites and land yachts.
In other years, we have had an art week,
an Olympic sports week and an environment
week. All of these are great fun for everyone.
at Holywell
We also celebrate a wide range of special religious
days and customs such as Christmas, Easter, Diwali,
Chinese New Year and Eid. We are very lucky to have
children and their families from different cultures
within our school, who help to explain the purpose of
the celebration and share their food and dances with
us.
Trips out of School
Every year group is very lucky to have the chance to go on
trips for the day. All trips have brilliant activities and
interesting things to see connected to the topics we are
studying at school. We go to places like the Sea-life
Centre, Egyptian Exhibitions and the Bluebell Woods. Year
6 pretend that they are being evacuated to a World War
II centre and dress up in costumes to make it seem real.
Year 3 dress as Victorian children and attend a Victorian
school.
In Year 4, children go on a really exciting residential trip
for 2 nights and in Year 6 they go for 4 nights. The
children get to do great activities like climbing, abseiling,
canoeing, quad biking, hill walking and enjoy staying with
their friends. They all really look forward to going and
have great fun.
Year 6 World War II Evacuees
Year 6 Residential
House Groups
When you first come into Holywell School,
you get put into one of the house groups.
Each house is named after a different
type of mythical creature and has a
different colour. The houses are:
Centaur which is yellow.
Pegasus which is red.
Aquila which is blue.
Phoenix which is green.
Each house is led by 2 house captains from
Year 6, a boy and a girl. A house captain is
a person who collects the house points and
represents the school. The house points
are given to people who are working hard,
performing well in music or sport, helping
others or behaving well. Captains count the
points each week and at the end of each
half term, a trophy is awarded to the
house with the most points.
The School Council
Each class, from Year 1 to Year 6, votes for a pupil to represent
them on the school council. The school council representatives
meet every 2 weeks. They discuss improvements that can be made
around school, how to raise money for charities, what money raised
should be spent on and many more issues. They report back to
their class and get the views of their peers. Each year Holywell
pupils raise a lot of money for charities like Children in Need,
Oxfam, R.S.P.C.A., Red Nose Day and Water Aid. The school
council representatives organise what we should do to raise the
money like fancy dress days, wearing silly hats, bring and buy
sales. We all have a lot of fun and enjoy helping other people.
How Year 6 Help at Holywell
Year 6 pupils do various responsible jobs to help the younger
pupils and staff. They do things like: helping the reception
age children eat their lunch and playing games with them,
delivering registers, operating the music system during
assemblies, organising the play equipment during playtimes
and delivering fruit to the Key Stage 1 pupils.
They also have important roles as House Captains and train
as Sports Leaders to organise and teach the younger pupils
games in the playground.
Playground Buddies
The playground buddy’s job is to look if there is anyone who
is unhappy or not playing with anyone at playtime or
lunchtime and we try to help them out. But if it’s something
big, like problems at home, we have to go to a teacher like
Mrs. Severn (who is very very nice) or Mrs. Featonby who is
equally nice. We have to wear bright yellow caps so people
can recognise us easily.
Where is Loughborough?
Loughborough is in the East
Midlands. It is in the middle of
England in between two big cities,
Nottingham in the north and
Leicester in the south (both about 12
miles from Loughborough).
It is a small town with schools,
shops, houses and a very big
university . It has a lot of farmland,
fields, countryside, lakes and
woodlands so it is a nice place to be.
Loughborough is in a borough called
Charnwood and has some small towns
surrounding it like Quorn, Barrow
and Shepshed.
Loughborough Town Centre
The first lord of the manor in Loughborough
was the Earl of Chester, in 1066. The town
was very small and built near the River Soar.
For many centuries, most of the land was
used for farming but, in the 1800s and early
1900s, it became well-known for textile
industries as well. A steam railway was built
to transport the goods and this is now run
as a tourist attraction. There is a bell
foundry, which makes bells that are
transported all over the world.
The town has grown in size and now
measures about 8km across. The centre has
over 40 shops, a cinema and a Town Hall
(which is also the theatre). There are 2
parks and in one of them is the museum and
the ‘Carillon’, a tower built as a war
memorial with bells at the top.
Loughborough Fair
In 1227, King Henry III gave
permission for Loughborough
to hold an annual fair for 3
days in November. The lord of
the manor organised it and
received fees from the stall
holders. Most of the stalls
sold things like jewellery,
materials from abroad and
unusual foods and drink.
There were a few
entertainers as well.
As the years have passed, the
fair has evolved and is now
packed with music, games and
SUPER FAST rides! They now
fill the town centre.
Loughborough Market
Loughborough market has taken place for over 700 years and
was given permission by King Henry III in 1221. It takes place
on Thursdays and Saturdays. The market has modernised over
many years. They now sell: fruit and vegetables, chocolates,
clothes, rugs, phone cases and many other objects. Around the
market is the town hall and lots of other shops.
In Summary
Overall, Holywell Primary School is a great school with fabulous
staff and wonderful facilities, we also have exceptional
equipment. We are packed with fun and excitement fitted into
our 6 hour 15 minute day. The children here enjoy their
classes. We all have our different strengths and can help each
other. We learn, achieve and develop together to succeed.
Produced by Year 6 pupils
2007-8