Welcome to Appledore School

Appledore School is located in the heart of an ancient fishing village, rich in maritime history, where the River Torridge meets the River Taw in beautiful North Devon.

We have approximately two hundred and fifty children, aged 3-11, taught in single age classes with names linked to the sea. Many are named after famous ships built in Appledore Shipyard and reflect our pupils’ pride in their local heritage and community.

Through a rich and rigorous curriculum, our pupils play an active part in their local community and prepare for life’s opportunities, responsibilities and experiences, now and in the future. The creative arts are of huge importance to us and our art studio, woodland and polytunnel are the creative hubs of the school and our main corridor is our art gallery! We are part of a cooperative trust of schools and a training school for student teachers.

We hope you can find the information you are looking for, but if you can’t please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do all we can to help.  And as for the quotes, they are real!

From all the staff and pupils at Appledore School

Please note, we are a nut-free school.

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Newsletter for the week ending Friday 8th May
May 8, 2026

A shorter than usual week, but no less busy! Please read Around the Classes section to find out what has been going on in each class.

The Parish Nurse Baby Drop-in Weigh and Health Clinic for parents/carers with babies and toddlers. It offers a free, face-to-face, weigh and health support service by a Nursing and Midwifery Council, qualified Nurse and Health Visitor, with many years’ experience working in the Bideford Community. The nurse (see here for info) is also a certified, lactation consultant and offer free Infant Feeding support alongside the clinic. For more information, please see here and here.

Children’s Commissioner has launched a survey so you children and parents can have their say on what it’s like to be a child or young person in England today. The Commissioner will take your views to the Government, to help them make life better for children.  The link to the survey is available here

Dates for the diary:

  • Book Festival at Barnstaple library, Saturday 18th May and see here for more information
  • Sports Day Wednesday 20th May all day for Years 1-6 and the afternoon for Reception/Dolphins information is here. Tuesday 16th June is back-up day should the weather be bad in May. More details to follow nearer the time.
  • Football clubs for boys and girls of all abilities are being run across the region over May half term. See here.
  • Appledore’s first ever Pride will take place around the village on Saturday 6th June (see here) and please see here for a competition for children to win £50 and here for story reading in the library
  • Tabsfest, in memory of an Appledore Pupil, is a family music festival at The Big Sheep, Saturday 13th June. See here for info.

Wishing you all a lovely  weekend.

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff (more…)

Sports day Arrangements – Wednesday 20th May
May 7, 2026
We are looking forward to Sports Day on Wednesday 20th of May. These are the current plans for the day, please be aware changes may be required before the day or during the day in response to the weather and unforeseen circumstances.
School will open at the normal time and parents can take their places on the field once their child has gone into their classroom.
9.30am -11.30am: races for children in Years 1-6 will take place and parents and carers of children in these year groups are very welcome to attend. Please sit behind the roped off area. After these races all children will then go back to class for a short period of time.
12pm-12.45pm: Parents and carers are invited to stay to picnic with their children from reception to year 6 on the field. Children in years 1&2 can be collected from their classrooms, children in Reception from the Foundation Stage Unit and children in years 3-6 will come out to meet their parents.
Please stay on the field and do not enter the wooded area.
Children in Reception and years 1&2 that do not have parents attending will eat a school dinner in the hall as per usual. They will be having a School Packed Lunch instead of the usual Menu as there will be no hot meals that day. If you would like your child to be provided with a lunch please complete this form. Children in years 3-6 who do not have parents attending will eat their home packed lunch on the playground.
12.45pm: the children are called back to class for the register
1.15pm the activities for all children from Reception to year 6 will start. Children will be placed into house teams and will take part in a number of different activities. You are welcome to move around with your child’s team and support them in their activities. When it is your child’s group time for a rest break, they will go to the rest classroom and parents/carers please do not enter with them – this is new for this year.
Please can children in years 1-6 come to school wearing their PE kit. If possible they can wear a t-shirt in the colour of their house instead of their usual white PE shirt.  Children in Reception to wear a house colour t-shirt if possible (please see notice board outside FSU for which house/colour) and trainers.
Please ensure your child has a sun hat, named water bottle and applied sunscreen that lasts for the day.
When the afternoon activities have finished (usually no later than 2.30pm) all children will return to their classroom. Parents and carers can collect their children soon after as per usual arrangements. Older children who normally walk home will not be released from school until the usual end of day time of 3.30pm.
Best wishes
Appledore School
Newsletter for the week ending Friday 1st May
May 1, 2026

Mrs Avery had a beautiful baby girl and her name is Rosie. We send them all our best wishes.

Children at Appledore School participate in lots of climate change and environmental activities and learning and a requirement of the DfE is that we record what we are doing in a Climate Action Plan. Our Climate Action Plan is available to view here.

School has been contacted by local residents, eg Richmond Green and Scott Avenue, asking you to ensure parking is considerate of the need for them to get our of their drives and for emergency vehicles to be able to get through.  Please be aware that we can issue free car parking permits for the car park on Oden Road.

Dates for the diary:

  • For details of free wildlife walks (including a night bat hunt) this weekend organised by North Devon Biosphere, see here
  • Sports Day Wednesday 20th May all day for Years 1-6 and the afternoon for Reception/Dolphins. Tuesday 16th June is back-up day should the weather be bad in May. More details to follow nearer the time.
  • Appledore’s first ever Pride will take place around the village on Saturday 6th June (see here) and please see here for a competition for children to win £50 and here for story reading in the library
  • Tabsfest, in memory of an Appledore Pupil, is a family music festival at The Big Sheep, Saturday 13th June. See here for info.

Wishing you all a lovely bank holiday weekend and we look forward to welcoming you back on Tuesday 5th May.

From Jeremy Cooper and all the children and staff

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