Latest News!

• A truly inspirational visit from author and illustrator Steve Webb 🤩

  Tue 03 Mar 2026 Bethany

  📚2026 – The Year of Reading 📚
  
  We kick-started the week with a truly inspirational visit from author and illustrator Steve Webb.
  
  The children spent an exciting morning discovering what it takes to become a writer and illustrator. Steve shared insights into where his ideas come from, how he develops his characters, and the creative journey from imagination to finished book.
  
  Inspired by his work, the children had a go at drawing some of Steve’s characters before creating their own superhero story ideas. There were some wonderfully imaginative powers and adventurous plots shared across the hall!
  
  A real highlight of the morning was listening to – and acting out – one of Steve’s storybooks. The laughter, enthusiasm and dramatic performances showed just how engaged the children were.
  
  One child perfectly captured the magic of the experience when they said,
  
  “I can’t believe that we are meeting a real-life author!”
  
  Moments like this remind us just how powerful reading can be — sparking creativity, building confidence, and inspiring future writers right here in our school. 📚✨

  

• 🌟 🧧 Chinese New Year 🧧 🌟

  Mon 02 Mar 2026 Bethany

  Last week, we celebrated Chinese New Year across the school. We learned about what Chinese New Year is all about, including the traditions, celebrations and the meaning behind this special festival.
  
  Throughout the week, the children took part in a range of exciting activities. From painting Chinese numbers in mud, creating beautiful lanterns, yoga and even tasting foods we might not usually try at home, there were lots of hands-on experiences to bring the learning to life.

  

• Snow Closure - Friday 9th January 2026

  Fri 09 Jan 2026

  Due to the heavy snow across the local and wider area, combined with the poor driving conditions, school will be closed today for all children.  

   

  As you can appreciate many staff travel into school and, despite best preparations, are snowed in, and unable to travel into school. This means that we are unfortunately unable to safely open our school site, unable to provide catering and unable to provide safe staffing levels.  

   

  Staff from school will be sharing some available learning via the school website by mid morning (10:30 a.m.) which children can access to help them practise key skills. We hope there’s also time to enjoy the unusual heavy snow.  

• 🎉 NSPCC Number Day at St Giles! 🎉

  Fri 07 Feb 2025 Bethany Simpson

  We had an incredible time celebrating NSPCC Number Day with a variety of fun activities!
  
  The children were buzzing with excitement as they engaged in all things numbers. Here’s a snapshot of our day:
  
  The nursery and reception children made number medals, found numbers in the water, and crafted Numberblocks puppets. They also went on a thrilling number hunt around the classroom, discovering numbers in unexpected places. 🔍
  
  The Year 1 and 2 children played games such as snakes and ladders, Build a Bot, and Top Trumps. It was a busy morning filled with maths fun! 🎲🤖🃏
  
  Our Year 3 and 4 children enjoyed various activities linked to numbers, including investigations, TTR, and a number quiz. 🧩
  
  The Year 5 and 6 children took on the Knotted Rope Challenge! They learned how ancient builders used knotted ropes to measure distances and create perfect right angles. It was extremely tricky but lots of fun! 🪢📏
  
  Our KS2 children also enjoyed their TTR battle against other schools across the country! 🏆
  
  The children had such a fantastic day, and we raised awareness and funds for a great cause. 🌟

  

• 🌟 Children’s Mental Health Week At St Giles🌟

  Mon 03 Feb 2025 Bethany Simpson

  This week, we celebrated Children’s Mental Health Week with a variety of engaging and meaningful activities centered around the theme “Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.” 🌱
  
  Our goal was to help children understand the importance of mental health and self-awareness. Throughout the week, we had many discussions about how we feel when we experience different emotions and how we can navigate through some emotions while embracing others. Many children shared examples of things that made them happy, sad, or worried, and we supported each other in understanding that feeling different emotions is perfectly okay. We are all here for each other. 💖

  

• ✨🎵 YOUNG VOICES 2025! 🎵

  Mon 27 Jan 2025 Bethany Simpson

  Wow, what a day and an even better night!
  
  Our Year 5/6 children represented the school brilliantly today, showing so much excitement and enthusiasm from an early start to a very late finish. They sang and danced their hearts out, and honestly, they nearly took the roof off the Utilita Arena! We’re not sure there’ll be many voices left tomorrow, but we couldn’t be prouder of every single one of them.
  
  What an unforgettable experience for our wonderful children! A huge thank you to the amazing staff who gave up their time to make this possible🌟🤩
  
  Miss. Simpson, Mr Williams and Ms. Whithorn ✨

  

• 🌟 Little Smiles at St Giles 🌟

  Mon 27 Jan 2025

  Wow, what an amazing turnout at Little Smiles today! It was such a joy to welcome so many new faces and see everyone having so much fun.
  
  Our Little Smiles session is led by the wonderful Mrs. Rodgers. Mrs. Rodgers’ warm and welcoming nature, paired with her thoughtfully planned activities, ensures that all children have a fantastic time exploring, learning, and playing.
  
  Next week, we’ll be celebrating Chinese New Year with lots of fun and creative activities – it’s going to be brilliant, and we can’t wait to share it with you! 🐍 ✨
  
  At Little Smiles, we create a safe, friendly, and happy space for your little ones to play, explore, and make memories. It’s also a great opportunity for grown-ups to have a catch-up, grab a cuppa, or meet new friends.
  
  We can’t wait to see you next Thursday!
  
  Miss. Simpson and the St Giles Team 🌟

  

• ✨☕️ Cuppa and Connect ☕️✨

  Fri 24 Jan 2025 Bethany Simpson

  We’re excited to announce that our wonderful Ms. Whithorn will be hosting a ‘Cuppa and Connect’ session once every half term!
  
  These sessions are a chance for parents and carers to:
  • Enjoy a relaxing cuppa
  • Catch up with friends
  • Meet and connect with other members of our school community
  
  We understand how important it is to take a moment for yourself, and we hope this voluntary session will provide just that.
  
  We’d love to see you there, so please join us for this wonderful opportunity to connect and unwind. ✨

  

• 🌟 Calling All Former St Giles Students & Local Community! 🌟

  Thu 23 Jan 2025 Bethany Simpson

  We are on a mission to uncover the history of St Giles CE Primary School how it was formed, the story of the two schools (Starkholmes or Matlock Town) that merged, and the history of the land it was built on.
  
  If you, or someone you know, attended St Giles or the original schools (Starkholmes or Matlock Town) we would love to hear from you. We are especially looking for old photographs, newspaper articles, or memories that help tell the story of our school’s past.
  
  In 2008, when Mrs. Bednall became part of St Giles, she was given a special request to keep a register of every child who became part of our school community. She has honored that promise, and to this day, every student who has ever attended St Giles is recorded in the book dating back to 1991. Looking through this book is truly heartwarming, especially when we see the names of past students who are now parents of the children we teach today!
  
  If you have any photos, documents, or memories to share, please send them to enquiries@st-giles-matlock.derbyshire.sch.uk
  
  Please also share this post with anyone who may have connections to St Giles. The more people we reach, the more history we can uncover.
  
  Thank you for being a part of our school’s story.
  
  Miss. Simpson and the St Giles Team 🌟

• KS2 Cross Country

  Wed 22 Jan 2025 Bethany Simpson

  On the 22nd of January, 16 children from KS2 went to Whitworth Park in Matlock to compete against other schools, running around a marked course over the field; looping much further than it first looked!
  
  The children competed excellently with pride and passion, not giving up even when it got tough. I was so proud to see how the children took on the challenge of the course and the distance.
  
  Well done to you all!! 🌟
  
  Mr Williams