This week in maths, Reception have been looking at 3D shapes and spotting them in our environment. Faced with an assortment of different shapes, the children were tasked with predicting which ones they thought would roll down a ramp in the classroom. This prompted an excellent brainstorming session as the children discussed the reasons why they felt the objects would or wouldn’t easily glide down the ramp, looking at the particular properties unique to each shape.

Natasha Jacklin, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 have been learning about Florence Nightingale and the role she played revolutionising nursing in the 1800s. Further to their studies, the children were keen to learn more about nursing today and invited into the classroom our school nurse, who explained how she helps make poorly children feel better. Nurse Mosely came armed with some very interesting equipment, such as a thermometer, stethoscope and oxygen level reader, which the children got to try out. Year 1 worked in pairs to think about and write down some questions ahead of the nurse’s visit and will now use their newly-discovered wealth of information to write a non-fiction book all about nurses.

Kathleen Salusbury, Year 1 Class Teacher

Year 2 have been challenged to create a class charter which will involve all of the children and take pride of place in the classroom. Working together and giving everyone the chance to have their say, Year 2 aim to create their ideal learning environment, with a quiet and calm environment already a popular choice. In PSHE this week, the children got the chance to explore ways in which they could make that happen, such as mindful breathing exercises and describing the places where they feel most calm and secure. They also used body percussion – be it tapping fingers, slapping knees or stamping feet – to replicate the soothing sound of rain before discussing how it great it felt to work together as a team to create a unique sound.

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

Year 3 made progress on their roundhouse project in DT this week. The children were split into groups to work on different elements of their Iron Age buildings; one group used a mix of dark brown, ochre and yellow paints to create a thatch effect for their roofs while the second group used hacksaws to produce six small pieces of wood of equal length which will act as the supports for the roof. Any rough edges on the support pillars were sanded down before being attached to the floor of the roundhouse. The children worked diligently on their particular tasks, and showed a great understanding of our safety rules while using the hacksaws.

Kim Martin, Year 3 DT Teacher

Strong team spirit and a never-say-die attitude were at the heart of Year 5’s three competitive netball matches against Cranleigh on Wednesday. The A team were a goal up at half time thanks to some excellent defensive play and a sound attacking strategy but were unable to contain their visitors in the second half, slipping to an 8-3 defeat. Despite the loss, the girls maintained their composure and worked hard up until the final whistle, showing excellent effort and resilience. The B team demonstrated excellent passing and quick set plays, linking their attacking movements and feeding the shooting circle with great anticipation and teamwork. But despite accurate shooting and great defending, the girls were edged out of a tight game 6-4. And the C team, who defended and passed the ball with great aplomb, were involved in the tightest game of the day, losing 2-1 despite both teams having equal amounts of possession and scoring opportunities.

Natalie McIntosh, U10 Girls’ Head Netball Coach

This week, Year 6 have been pressing on with the story of the Iliad and their attention turned to the role of Zeus in overseeing mortal affairs. Discussion of fate, pride (Achilles’ flaw) and what it means to be a hero were all hotly debated. Each week, a section is read for prep and then discussed in class in the hope the first great Western epic poem will continue to live on in the mouths of ordinary mortals. This week also saw a review of the language learning of the term, reviewing vocabulary encountered and the rules about how adjectives work.

Alex Walker, Head of Classics

In science, Year 7 have been exploring gas pressure, specifically what causes gas pressure and how you can change it. The children first watched some demonstrations of gas pressure in action before getting hands on and crushing cans to help with their understanding. The class then discussed some real-life examples of when gas pressure has an effect on something outside the classroom, for example carbonisation of fizzy drinks or blowing up balloons.

Oli Backhouse, Year 7 Science Teacher

In music, Year 8 have been considering how 12-bar blues developed from slow blues into the rock ‘n’ roll patterns of the 1950s. As part of their voyage of discovery, the children created their own rock ‘n’ roll track using GarageBand in the music tech suite. The exercise gave Year 8 a much greater understanding of the workings of rock ‘n’ roll, including its limitations and how the next generation of rockers will be influenced.

John Mühlemann, Director of Music