The heat of this week has been incredible! In response to the hot weather, we have adapted our routines to keep everyone safe and comfortable. Learning has been moved outdoors where possible, additional breaks have been scheduled, and pupils are enjoying afternoon ice lollies to stay cool. Children have been in sports kit all week, and have enjoyed playing next to the sprinkler during break times! These small changes are helping ensure that all children have remained hydrated, happy, and able to continue learning safely while our school stays fully open. I am grateful for the resilience of both our staff and pupils.
Today we held our final Year 8 assembly, as they provided the school with a ‘Spanish Residential’. The pupils had to guess their activity, answer some true and false questions and then guess which baby was which Form 8 pupil! It is always with such mixed emotions that I watch our Year 8’s do their final activities this term. Proud of all they have achieved yet so sad that they will be moving on from us so soon.
Academic excellence awards were given to Ewan, Will N, Orlando, Olivia, Gianni, Alice, Hamo, Callisto, Mila, Harry and Louis. Well done certificates were awarded to Elodie, Sandro, Olivia, George, Florence, Remi, Sam, Elsie, Logan, Sonny, Baxter, Shayan, Louis and all of Form 8 for their fantastic residential.
This week Maddie and Hamo received the Commitment award, Yasmin and Jia Wei the Compassion award, Romeo and Rosa the Courage award and George and Felix the Creativity award.
Stage 1 sailing certificates were handed to Form 3, while Form 4 and Penelope in Form 2 received their stage 2 certificate. Congratulations to you all.
This week, the children enjoyed an exciting Enquiry-Based Learning Week, exploring countries from around the world linked to the World Cup. Each class adopted a different country, including Brazil, Spain, Australia, Mexico, the USA and Japan, and set out to discover what makes each culture unique. The week was driven by the children’s own curiosity and questions, encouraging them to take ownership of their learning. Through research, discussion and hands-on activities, the children explored a wide range of topics, including geography, traditions, food, music, art, sport and daily life. They worked collaboratively to investigate their chosen country and decide how best to present their findings. The culmination of the week was a fantastic celebration of learning. Classrooms were transformed into vibrant cultural displays featuring artwork, models, costumes, fact files, performances and interactive exhibits. The children proudly shared their knowledge with visitors and demonstrated impressive confidence when explaining what they had discovered.
One of the highlights of the week was the opportunity for pupils to travel around the school and visit each country’s display. Armed with their passports, they explored the different classrooms, learned about each culture and collected stamps along the way. This created a real sense of adventure and excitement as children journeyed from country to country, celebrating the diversity of our world. The week provided a valuable opportunity for pupils to develop their enquiry skills, deepen their understanding of different cultures and reflect on our overarching question:
“What can we learn about ourselves and each other through the cultures of the world?”
We were incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, creativity and teamwork shown by all the children throughout the week. Their curiosity, respect for different cultures and willingness to share their learning made the event a tremendous success. A huge well done to everyone involved for helping to create such a memorable and inspiring week of learning.
We were also treated to an incredible menu from Kerry and the team, as we enjoyed souvlaki from Greece, Mexican themed traybake, Vietnamese pork and Duck Bao Buns. Absolutely delicious!
On Tuesday, Forms 5 & 6 enjoyed a visit to Waterstones, where they had the pleasure of meeting author Rowan Foxwood. Rowan captivated the children with fascinating insights into folklore and magic, before reading a wonderful extract from her novel Heartseer. The pupils were completely absorbed and full of thoughtful questions! Pupils also took part in a book cover redesign competition for Heartseer and Magpie Girl. Rowan was blown away by the creativity on display, and all designs will be exhibited in Waterstones over the next week. Congratulations to our winners:
- 1st Place: Sonny – winning a book voucher and signed copies of both of Rowan’s books
- Runners-Up: Hamo and Grace – each receiving a signed copy of a book of their choice
We are so proud of all the pupils who took part – their imagination and artistic flair were truly outstanding. A huge thank you to Rowan Foxwood and Waterstones for such a memorable and inspiring experience!
Next week is incredibly busy as we have our sports days and swimming gala as well as our S.T.A.R performance and our ABRSM examinations. This weekend is the much anticipated Summer Fayre, and I very much hope you will all be able to come along and support this event – thankfully the forecast is cooler than the past few days! It takes a tremendous amount of time to put together an event as big as this, and I am incredibly grateful to our PTFA for all their hard work – it’s going to be a lot of fun! Remember our Form 8’s will be selling their wares as part of their Lion’s Lair project – please support them on the day!
Have a lovely weekend!
David
