It hardly seems possible, but it is now nearly three years since our last inspection. Time has certainly flown. As we begin to think carefully about what we would want to share with inspectors regarding our key strengths, as well as the areas we know we must continue to prioritise for development, pupil voice has been central to this reflection.
Yesterday, I spent time with pupils in Forms 5 and 6, asking them those very questions. Their responses were overwhelmingly positive and gave me a great deal to reflect on. There was a strong sense of pride in how musical we are as a school and in the achievements of our pupils, alongside enthusiastic praise for the food (unsurprisingly!). The children spoke confidently about our school values and how they are embedded in everyday life through the 4Cs programme.
What was particularly striking was how clearly they identified kindness and courage as defining features of our community – whether that is supporting one another, standing on stage, or trying something new such as sailing for the first time. They spoke passionately about our productions and the important role they play in bringing the whole school community together. Above all, there was a real sense that our family spirit and strong community ethos are genuinely felt by the children themselves.
Equally important, however, was how thoughtful and constructive the pupils were when reflecting on areas for development. They shared practical suggestions, such as having more clocks around the school to help them manage their time independently and ensure they arrive promptly at specialist lessons. They also commented positively on the new Mark My Marking initiative, while recognising that there is still work to do to fully embed it into their learning. A more light-hearted but no less valid suggestion was to freshen up the Senior Prep toilets with a new coat of paint – something already on the site team’s list. Finally, pupils highlighted that our timetabling could be improved to reduce time lost during transitions, particularly when moving between subjects such as Art or DT and English. They suggested that having lessons like Music in between could help them move more efficiently, and this is something we will certainly explore when planning next year’s timetable.
Teachers were spoken of with genuine appreciation, and I would like to echo that gratitude here. The commitment, care and dedication shown by staff every day to champion each and every child is something of which we should all be immensely proud.
All of this insight came from just two year groups, and I very much look forward to delving deeper into this project with other pupils across the school. Listening carefully to their voices will help us continue to reflect, refine and strive to make Sunninghill the very best it can be for the outcomes of all our pupils. If any parents would like to share their own views on these questions, I would be delighted to hear from you.
This morning in assembly we talked about the NSPCC number day that we will be holding next Friday 6th February. The children will be coming to school in home clothes with a number theme! There will be lots of fun maths games during lessons and breaktimes, and there will be a prize for the best number costume!
Our Academic Excellence winners this week were Florence, William, Logan, Phin and Oscar. Our Well Done winners were Phoebe, Ava, Beau, Elias, Felix, Nathaniel, Seb, Phin, Albie, Sasha-Mae, Connor, Nikolas, Shayan, Max, Agatha and Nora. Congratulations to Violet and Baxter for receiving the Commitment Award this week, to Star and Sonny for the Compassion Award, Elodie and Callisto for the Courage Award and Bea and Nora for the Creativity Award.
On Tuesday, Form 8 had the privilege of attending the Holocaust Memorial Event at the Dorchester Corn Exchange. This meaningful occasion offered pupils the opportunity to reflect on the importance of remembrance, understanding, and compassion through the exhibitions, films and both the Mayor’s and organiser’s addresses.
This term, Form 8 have been learning about the Holocaust across both English and history. In history, they have explored the events, contexts, and human stories that shaped this devastating period, developing a deeper understanding of its causes, consequences, and lasting impact.
Alongside this, in English they have been studying Holocaust poetry, examining how writers use language to honour memories, express loss, and preserve the voices of those who suffered. Their learning culminated in composing their own Holocaust remembrance poems; thoughtful, sensitive pieces inspired by both their historical knowledge and their literary studies.
We were delighted that Oscar’s poem, Birds Calling, was selected to be shared at the event. Oscar read his poem with clarity and maturity to the full room, representing the school brilliantly. His words captured the devastation of families being separated before being taken to the camps. We are incredibly proud of him for delivering such a poised and heartfelt reading, emphasising the theme of this year’s event: Bridging Generations.
The event was a powerful reminder of why remembrance matters. Form 8, Mrs Noyce and Mrs Smith returned inspired and reflective after such a moving experience.
In science in Forms 5 and 6, we are studying classification and have started to look at different groups of invertebrates including insects, arachnids, myriapods, molluscs and annelids. As part of our learning, we have been using keys to identify what group different invertebrates in the school grounds belong to. Next week they will be graphing our findings.
Also in science, Form 7 have been looking at how to calculate speed and went outside this morning to engage them in their learning a little more! Pupils designed their experiment – changing one thing about a paper aeroplane: either size, weight or design in order to find the fastest. They timed their flights over a set distance and will use this information to calculate the average speed of each plane. At the end of the lesson they had a competition to see whose plane could fly the furthest!
Form 3 enjoyed an energetic chair drumming lesson today, working on ‘We Will Rock You’. They focused on keeping a steady pulse while playing together as an ensemble, practising reading and writing rhythms using standard notation, including crotchets, quavers and crotchet rests. The piece also helped develop coordination, with pupils combining hands and movements accurately and confidently in time.
Junior Prep have really been enjoying their gardening with Liz this week, working on our dead hedge, which is now looking incredible. Gardening is something that all our children enjoy in Sunninghill, and it has lovely to see in the work we have done this week that they appreciate that it is something that is a little bit special to Sunninghill!
It has been a really wet week, but I am really proud of the resilience of our staff and children who have continued with their outdoor activities, despite the rain. Forms 3 and 4 have just come back from a very wet skiing session this afternoon, and the seniors were still power boating in the pouring rain, and taking part in their sustainability project on Portland. Well done to you all!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
David
