Pudsey ‘spotted’ at West Denton school

Colourful yellows and outfits covered in spots could be seen at the gates of a West Denton school – along with some fetching furry ears.

The pupils at St John Vianney Catholic Primary School had swapped their usual uniforms as part of this year’s Children in Need campaign, which also saw them participate in a range of activities to raise money for the charity.

Led by Year 6 as part of their Faith in Action Discovery Pin Award, all year groups at the school wore their own clothes and Children in Need accessories for the day and took part in a series of themed challenges.

“First thing in the morning, groups of Year 6 children visited classes and led the children in a game of ‘Pin the Patch on Pudsey’, which the children had coloured themselves,” said Alison Black, who is one of the Year 6 teachers at the school, and helped to organise the day’s events.

The game was followed by the more physical ‘Pudsey Bearpees Challenge’ – a burpees workout created by fitness instructor and presenter Joe Wick’s for this year’s Children in Need.  Each class in turn completed the challenge in the school hall at St John Vianney, which is a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust.

“There were rosette certificates for each class for ‘The Bearpee Champion’, ‘The Most Stylish Bearpee’, and ‘The Funniest Bearpee’,” continued Mrs Black. “These were awarded at our Children in Need Finale Assembly at the end of the day.”

“Our whole school took part, from Nursery up to Year 6, so almost 500 pupils,” she added. “Our school kitchen joined in the fun too – they decorated the kitchen with spots and made a sweet treat for all the children.”