Vranch House

Date added: Monday 11th May 2015
Latest updated: Thursday 23rd February 2023

Dear Parents,                    

Whole school trip

This term we are learning about knights, kings and castles. Our main focus is Queen Victoria. And of course Princess Charlotte who was born at the right time for our topic. Thank you Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

To link with our topic we will be visiting Powderham Castle on Wednesday, 20^th May. Transporting the whole school without the fantastic help from parents would be logistically rather difficult. We appreciate your help to make this trip happen!

Children arriving to school on transport will be travelling on hired buses to the castle, arriving around 10.15.

Children who are coming from home with parents, please meet us by the castle's main entrance at 10.15.  The car park is a couple of minutes walk away.  Please see enclosed map.

We will be entering the castle through a wheelchair accessible side entrance and a guide will be waiting to take us on a tour around the ground floor, which will last approximately 45 minutes. Unfortunately the upstairs is not accessible but I am certain that we will have plenty of opportunity to experience how it may feel to be living in a castle, if only for a short while.

Most of the garden of the immediate castle is wheelchair accessible and offers fantastic views to the estuary and the hundreds of deer.

For lunchtime we will have a separate room for us in the servants' quarters. Please bring/send in a packed lunch for your child and also for yourself if you are joining us on the trip.

Toileting will need a little bit of creativity. There is a disabled toilet and we will be taking a mat and blankets with us should anyone need to use this facility.

After lunch we will walk to the Walled Gardens to see the animals.

The hired bus needs to be back at Vranch House by 2.30pm but those families who drove there are, of course, welcome to stay as long as they like.

To enhance the experience, I call upon all children, families and staff to dress accordingly -- put on a full armour, arrive on a horse, be the most beautiful princess or the bravest knight!

Fundraising for Vranch House

Andy Newberry (Reuben's father) and a close friend of the family, Daniel Hammond, have booked themselves on the Tandem Sky Dive Guinness World Record attempt at Dunkeswell airfield on 20th June 2015.  They are going to donate 100% of their sponsor money to Vranch House. Thank you Andy and Dan!

If you wish to support Andy, he has his own fundraising page: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/andynewberry

Devon Parent Carer Voice

Devon Parent Carer Voice annual meeting will be held in Buckfast on 16^th June 2015. For further information and for a booking form please see: https://www.devonparentcarersvoice.org/events/book

Free Training Course for Parent Carers

There is opportunity for a free training course run by Face 2 Face - a peer-support group "Parents supporting Parents of disabled Children".

‘The training will help you develop a deeper understanding of the emotions you faced when discovering your child had additional needs and the impact it has had on your life. You will feel less isolated as you meet others who understand, feel more confident in your own skills and abilities and have improved self-esteem. Being part of Face 2 Face means you will benefit from the emotional and practical support of other parents and also be able to use your own experiences to offer support.'

Where? Clyst Vale Children's Centre, Clyst St Mary.

When? All on the following: Mondays 09:30-14:30.

May - 11^th, 18^th.       June - 1^st, 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd, 29^th.        July - 6^th

Please contact Bel McDonald (Face2Face Coordinator, Exeter and East Devon) if you are interested. 07825 739171; email: [email protected]

Circus Starr Tickets

We still have some free tickets available for the Circus Starr visit to Exeter on Thursday, 4th June - please contact Beverley if you would like some tickets for either the 4.45pm or 7pm performances.

If you have any questions regarding the school trip or other school matters, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01392 468333 or [email protected]

Viktoria Pavlics

Head Teacher

Parent's Newsletter May 2015 [pdf]

Whole school trip info (1)  [pdf]

Whole school trip info (2)  [pdf]

Powderham 2015 leaflet