What a busy first week back the children have had in their last term in Reception. We began the week with a special visit from children’s author and poet Alan Durant. The children were thoroughly engaged as they worked together to come up with their own rhyming poem. They also discussed what they already knew about poems and used their knowledge of rhyming words to create wonderful creative sentences with well-thought out actions. The children left feeling inspired to write their own poems in their free time. The next morning, the children came to school to find a bubbly, oozing potion complete with ‘eyeballs’ and ‘worms’ left on their shared area table. There were also instructions on how to make a special potion of their own and the curious children came up with some wonderful ideas of what they could include, heading out into the lovely grounds to collect the ingredients they needed. Back in the classroom, the children collaborated to mix, grate and chop their woodland goodies to produce their fascinating potions. In PSHE, we also took the opportunity to explore the human body. The children used their writing skills to work together to mark where the various body parts were before discussing the important roles of the major organs. And they got to see various body parts such as arms and legs working in harmony as they warmed up for sports day with some long jump and hurdling practice during PE.

Hannah Feery, Reception Class Teacher

A visit to the stunning gardens of RHS Wisley was a natural fit for eco-conscious Year 1 this week. Under a beautiful blue sky, the children spent the morning looking for minibeasts and exploring their natural habitats, carefully discovering what lives and thrives in ponds, meadows and under logs in woodland. During their scientific explorations Year 1 made some fabulous discoveries, not least wiggly newts in the pond! In the afternoon, the fascinated children saw another brilliant side of the impressive Royal Horticultural Society site as they walked through a section of rainforest and desert created in a huge greenhouse before marvelling at the Japanese gardens and the bonsai walk, complete with miniature trees. And they also had the chance to plant their very own cornflower seeds which they can nurture and watch grow in the coming weeks. It’s safe to say the children had a full and action-packed day, learning so much more about the natural environment that will stand them in good stead for future science lessons and enhance their understanding of the school’s own natural surroundings.

Rachael Berry, Year 1 Class Teacher

What an amazing experience the Year 2 children had this week as they went back in time to around 90AD to visit Fishbourne Roman Palace, the largest Roman residence north of the Alps. The spectacular villa near Chichester measures 150 square metres and was built about 30 years after the Romans conquered Britain. It boasts some of the most amazing and perfectly preserved mosaics from the second and third centuries and it’s safe to say that Year 2 were totally in awe of the decorative detail and sophistication of the mosaics. As they toured the historic site, the children were astonished to discover that the Romans not only had so much influence on many things we take for granted today but were also capable of producing such incredible works of art. Year 2 also took part in an engaging workshop where they got the chance to write in Latin, serve up meals for people of power, observe some of the tools and artefacts that had been discovered around the site, dress in expensive silk robes and use mosaic tiles to piece together their very own miniature masterpieces. It really was such an interesting, educational and influential day that has opened the children’s minds to the history and importance of the Romans.

Charlie Millsom, Head of Year 2

Inspired by visiting writer Alan Durant’s brilliant poetry workshop, Year 3 learnt about the structure of poems and the difference between a poem and a story. The children were tasked with creating their own poem titled ‘In My Box’ and were encouraged to include things that sparked emotions, things that made them happy, sad, excited, angry, calm or excited. The children then read out their poems to Mr Durant and their classmates, helping build their confidence in public speaking. Allowing the children to express and share their poems gave them the chance to reflect on their writing, something they can take forward into their future studies. Away from the classroom, Year 3 showed just how much they have learned and improved as they played some wonderful cricket matches against Oakwood School. Parents and teachers alike were delighted with the effort and talents on show. Well done, Year 3!

Robert Grech, Year 3 Class Teacher

After weeks of build-up, looking at the Normans and the events of 1066, Year 5 finally arrived at the famous Battle of Hastings this week. Having already learnt about the death of Edward the Confessor, the claimants to the throne and the Battle of Stamford Bridge between the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, there was much anticipation at learning about one of the most famous battles in British history. The Year 5 battleground was set and the chairs were strategically placed to represent Senlac Hill, the location of the battle. The Anglo-Saxon pupils stood proudly on top of the hill showing off the territorial advantage they had, shouting their war cry of ‘Ut, Ut, Ut!’ while the Norman pupils attempted to break through their strong shield wall. With just the morning of the battle covered this week, it allowed for pupils to make their predictions on the outcome of the battle based on the advantages that both sides had by that stage. We will culminate the battle next week and the children will be recreating the battle on the golf course toward the end of term.

Ed Elgood, Year 5 History Teacher

PSHE is always a hugely enjoyable lesson, with time to talk and discuss ‘the big issues’. This half of term, the topic for Year 6 is based on change. Using their Surface Pro tablets, the children pondered things which have changed in their own lives and the impact that these changes had on them – often causing upset, worry, overwhelming feelings or distress. This led nicely into discussions about the concept of our ‘circle of control’. There were great ideas shared about what we can control in our lives, for example how we behave, the friends that we choose and how we treat others, and things we can’t, such as the weather, traffic, past mistakes or bad decisions, in other words things which sit outside of our circle. Year 6 then went on to think about ways to deal with change and uncertainty and came up with many individual ideas which they felt would help them.

Vivienne Liddell, Year 6 PSHE Teacher

Year 7 were treated to a real voyage of discovery at the SeaCity Museum in Southampton, home of a fascinating exhibition on ill-fated ocean liner Titanic. And it proved to be an exciting and evocative opportunity to launch the enquiry-based learning curriculum for the year group. Focusing on the sinking of the Titanic, which hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912, the big question Year 7 are pondering is how failures of the past have shaped today’s world. The children investigated the lives of crew members on board Titanic, looking at their backgrounds, their roles, and the impact of the tragedy on the city of Southampton. They were also asked to form judgments on where the blame for the tragedy might lie, as well as learning the basics of Morse code and interpreting a series of signals. A walking tour involving key landmarks of the city followed and the importance of the Titanic story to the people of Southampton was still evident more than a century later as city residents volunteered extra information and welcomed us into their establishments to show us artefacts related to the stricken ship. Year 7 were a real credit to the school, demonstrating great respect for the gravity of the tragedy and a genuine interest in all they saw and experienced. For the next three weeks, the Titanic will be at the heart of Year 7’s learning, culminating in an exhibition for parents in July.

Beverley Smith, Deputy Head, Curriculum and Innovation

Back on Chapel Field, the girls’ 1^st XI put on a terrific all-round display to see off Edgeborough by 19 runs. After losing the toss and being put into bat under sunny skies, the girls flourished much like our flowering rhododendrons. Middle-order batter Ella G proved the lynchpin of the Highfield innings, smashing the ball around the ground after a watchful start, while Sam L provided the Champagne moment as she smacked a magnificent six over square leg. It all added up to a competitive total of 134 runs and showed that the girls’ regular coaching sessions are really paying dividends. After tea, Edgeborough threatened to spoil the party as they passed 80 with the loss of only two wickets, but disciplined bowling, sharp fielding and regular late wickets saw the visitors fall to 115 all out and spark home celebrations on Chapel Field.

Jo Gordon, 1st XI Girls’ Cricket Coach

On a perfect afternoon for cricket, the girls’ 2^nd XI rose to the occasion as they impressively chased down 122 to beat visitors Edgeborough. Winning the toss for the first time this season, Highfield chose to bowl first on a warm day and restricted the visitors to 121 all out, including two sharp catches at silly mid-on and a third behind the stumps by wicketkeeper Annabel H. It could have been even better for the home side but for several dropped catches and a spate of wides and no balls. Despite the team largely struggling in sizeable run chases this season, Sky P and Poppy O came out to bat full of confidence and immediately set about the Edgeborough bowlers. Sky drove the ball particularly well while Poppy found gaps and hit three lovely boundaries before being retired on 36 to answer an injury SOS for the 1^st XI on neighbouring Chapel Field. A late rush of wickets gave Highfield some anxious moments before Flora D hit three fine fours, the last of which sealed a superb win.

Peter Hesselmann, 2nd XI Girls’ Cricket Coach