In our PSHE lessons, Reception have been thinking about how everyone is different and special in their own way. This week, we compared houses and thought about how people live differently to us. In small groups, we drew our own homes and used our listening skills to great effect to discuss how they differed from other people’s.

Natasha Jacklin, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 this week continued to develop their phonic knowledge, which will support both their reading and writing skills. The children carefully listened to sounds before speaking words which included these sounds, aimed high when reading books in pairs, and were kind and supported each other throughout their task as they built up their confidence with phonic sounds.

Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher

Year 2 linguists were excited to investigate Christmas in Spanish-speaking countries. Using their speaking and listening skills, the children explored some mouth-watering festive fayre and looked at the different ways the festive season is celebrated around the world at this special time of year. They then got creative, decorating letters to spell out the words Feliz Navidad – Merry Christmas in Spanish!

Leana Staring, Year 2 Spanish Teacher

The erudite Year 3s were aiming high in maths when developing the use of strategies to check their answers. The children looked at estimations and considered how they can be a useful method for checking accuracy of calculations. As a result, they were able to add reasoning to their thinking while also considering what approximations could be used for other calculations. Applying this to real-life scenarios highlighted the preference of over-estimation, particularly in the context of how many packets of biscuits are needed for a school trip!

Henrietta Platt, Year 3 Class Teacher

As part of their current art project studying Islamic clay tiles, Year 5 this week learned how to produce a tile based on a design from their sketchbook. They really enjoyed doing this and I was impressed with how they cut the square shape and used the tools. The children aimed high and duly produced some wonderful clay tiles which featured geometric shapes and symmetry.

Tamsin Pearson, Year 5 Art Teacher

Year 6 have been working through their electricity module, learning about the relevance and importance of series and parallel circuits. The children recapped work on conductors and insulators and applied their knowledge of simple circuits to help identify which materials acted as conductors and which didn’t. They worked in small groups to test each material and record their observations, utilising key skills of teamwork, problem-solving and leadership.

Oliver Hamilton, Head of Science

In Latin, Year 7 continue to learn language alongside aspects of the ancient world, and this week the topic was in what ways the Greeks as subjects of the Roman empire influenced their overlords. By translating sentences revolving around “you’re all x because you…. whereas we’re y because we….” the pupils not only practised the first and second-person plural of the verb “to be” but also learned how the Romans admired Greek invention and vision.

Alex Walker, Head of Classics

In digital literacy, Year 8 were challenged to define peer pressure and give examples of how it can happen online. The children were asked to consider how a good friend should behave and assess whether they were indeed a good friend online as well as face to face. The essential skill of speaking was employed as Year 8 considered how they could call out cyber bullying and stick up for any friends feeling the effects of peer pressure.

Richard Dunn, Head of ICT

Beautiful singing and donkey sounds are a sure sign that the Reception children are rehearsing hard in preparation for their forthcoming performance of ‘The Wriggly Nativity’. Working with Mr Moo, the children have been listening attentively and encouraged to move to the music, expressing their own feelings as they do so. Now, we can’t wait to show everyone the result of all this Christmas creativity!

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

In science this week, Year 1 focused on materials. Aiming high in their quest for knowledge, the children discovered that water is a material and ice is water in a different state. They then put teamwork to the test as they worked in pairs on an experiment to find out how an ice cube changes its state when coming into contact with different materials, such as tissue paper, card and plastic. The result was one of delight and amazement.

Hannah Feery, Year 1 Class Teacher

Year 2 headed to forest school to learn how to light a fire, the key objective being to listen carefully in order to follow instructions and stay safe. The children built small stacking structures, opened up tinder bundles and used special steel rods to create a spark and light cotton wool – all the while remembering key safety rules. Making a spark with the fire steels proved quite tricky, especially in the damp air, but Year 2 showed incredible resilience and the ability to stay positive to achieve their objective. And it might only be short-lived but the moment the spark from their strike of the fire steel connects with the cotton wool and the first glow of the flames wanders over the white tinder is a moment of real pride for the children.

Kerri Wilkes, Year 2 Class Teacher

Read all about it! In English this week, Year 3 have been exploring news articles about Shackleton’s dramatic expedition to Antarctica in the early 1900s. Using excellent listening and teamwork skills, the inquisitive children edited the various articles to highlight the features of both the story and the expedition that impressed them most.

Rosie Statham, Head of Lower Prep

Year 5 enjoyed their fortnightly library time, changing their books and reading to themselves and their teachers, as well as discussing the things in school that help them and what to do when they are finding things tricky. The listening skill was central to this as the children are learning to think about strategies to build good habits for their mental health. Once the discussion was over the children had the chance to settle down and read aloud to an adult or independently snuggled up on bean bags, meaning they were reset and ready for their next lesson.

Steph Turner, Year 5 Class Teacher

Year 6 were this week encouraged to add emotive words associated with their feelings to a wellbeing ‘tree’ collage made up of flora and fauna found within the wonderful natural environment of our school grounds. This lovely use of sticks, leaves and assorted greenery to produce a meaningful picture allowed the children to bring nature into the classroom and bring creativity to the forefront. The positive impact of spending time outside, and specifically during wellbeing sessions, is so beneficial for keeping the class mentally fit and healthy.

Simon Gunn, Year 6 Wellbeing Teacher

The hard work of young thespians in Year 7 came to fruition on Thursday night as they performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies. All the children in the cast aimed high as they prepared to take to the stage at Leatherhead Theatre in front of an audience of 400 people. And they didn’t disappoint, putting on an impressive performance full of confidence and creativity. As a result, they gained the unique experience of performing in a professional theatre at a young age and their skills of teamwork and staying positive really shone through, not only on the night but also during the last six weeks of rehearsals.

Sarah Baird, Head of Drama

In maths, Year 8 were tasked with writing numbers and calculating sums using standard form. It tested the children’s ability to problem solve and enabled them to aim high as this is a Level 3 Common Entrance and GCSE topic. And the outcome was a positive one a they competently calculated a range of questions, including worded problems.

Danny Parkinson, Head of Maths

The Reception children have been learning how to use a part-whole model in maths. Using five cubes, they have been thinking about how to split five into two parts by using their problem-solving skills. As a result, the children were able to show the different ways of making five by breaking the cubes into two towers and then drawing the outcome in their books.

Natasha Jacklin, Reception Class Teacher

Thoughtful Year 1 have been busy raising awareness of bullying in and around the school community. After listening carefully to each other during group discussion about the best way to do this, the children decided to create posters to get their message across. Not only did they love the creative process, considering the style, layout and colours of their posters, but the children gave much thought to the wording on their posters, getting across messages of how to support each other and stop bullying.

Jessie Millsom, Year 1 Class Teacher

In art, Year 2 have been looking at the work of Andy Warhol, paying particular attention to the style and colours he used. Inspired by this, the children created a background of six colourful squares this week and will use a press-printing technique to duplicate a picture on each square, on this occasion a leaf to tie in with their work involving natural art. This is part of a four-week project during which Year 2 are exploring different media and concepts, and the children have already demonstrated excellent levels of positivity and perseverance when learning new techniques.

Kim Martin, Year 2 Art Teacher

The U8A girls have been working hard all season, learning to become versatile players who strive to aim high in every match situation. Against Edgeborough on Wednesday, the girls initially appeared a little nervous and were 5-2 down at halftime. But a quick pep talk, a defensive reshuffle and a reminder of the need to stay positive saw the girls roar back into the game and earn a fabulous 5-5 draw, with Ophelia N and Eliza R scoring crucial late goals.

Jess Oecken, U8A Girls’ Netball Coach

The U8B girls played their part in a highly-competitive 0-0 draw against their Edgeborough counterparts on Wednesday, demonstrating fantastic teamwork throughout. Phoebe G’s problem solving off the ball was brilliant, constantly making herself available for a pass, Chloe B and Chloe H showed great teamwork as they linked up well in the final third, and Ottilie G was named player of the match.

Alexandra George, U8B Girls’ Netball Coach

In French, Year 5 have been learning about the different rooms and facilities in and around school. The young linguists worked on listening and reading exercises and they will use their creative skills to create an annotated map of their ideal school.

Melanie Barnett, Year 5 French Teacher

Year 6 visited Hampton Court Palace on Thursday to add a little context to their current history topic, ‘The Tudors’. They exercised their listening skills as our resident Hampton Court tour guide, Mr Elgood, took us through a thousand years of fascinating palace history, culminating in a tour around the Tudor apartments. Outside, problem-solving skills were put to good use as the children had to weave their way through the famous maze which is the focal point of the amazing grounds. It was a great day out for Year 6, who armed themselves with a lot of new knowledge and anecdotes to take back to the classroom.

Jo Longshaw, Head of Middle Prep

The learning objective for 7A in English this week was to look at the way in which characters are created within the Gothic genre, which has been their literary focus this term. Creativity is the key to imaginative writing and the children synthesised the features of character description from a variety of sources in order to inspire their own Gothic ghost. A further essential skill is, of course, to aim high. Having written independently, the students set themselves the challenge of proof reading and correcting their work to ensure it was of the highest possible quality before handing it in. This lesson gave the children the chance to flex their own imaginative muscles and recognise that they can emulate the authors they admire in their own writing.

Katy Warner, Year 7 English Teacher

Year 8’s topic focus on ‘Transport’ led them to investigate HS2, specifically the different views on its construction and the role that this venture is likely to have in the future. The children have certainly focused on problem solving, as they prepare for a class debate on whether or not HS2 should be scrapped, completed or adapted further moving forward.

James Figgis, Head of Geography

This week, come rain or shine, our young learners in Reception have been enthusiastically enjoying our beautiful grounds. At forest school, the eager children worked as a team and put their problem-solving skills to the test by designing plank bridges to cross water, measuring the biggest splash in muddy puddles and making mysterious magic potions. They also had to be resourceful, using binoculars and scouring the woods in order to find the various items they needed to complete their tasks – and coming across some creepy crawlies along the way! Listening to the children share their imaginative ideas and remain resilient throughout the challenge was wonderful to see.

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

In maths, Year 1 were tasked with representing and using number bonds and related subtraction facts within 20, in other words using pairs of numbers that add up to 20 such as 17 and three. The children aimed high in their work, ensuring that they effectively used the classroom resources to complete the calculations. They also stayed positive when faced with new mathematical challenges and concepts. The end result was that the children demonstrated that they can support each other when working together. They will continue to explore positive aspects of working together, listening and being resourceful, and they will use maths in real-life scenarios going forward.

Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher

Within our pacey, passionate and lively phonics sessions, the children actively participate, fine-tuning their listening and speaking skills to identify and practise saying a specific daily sound. The children aim high as they recognise the importance of acquiring their phonics knowledge to enable them to read and write more successfully, as well as enhancing their reading and writing experiences and making them even more enjoyable.

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

To create awe and wonder for their topic ‘How are we connected to Antarctica?’, the exuberant Year 3s visited Gilbert White’s House in Selborne to learn about Antarctic expeditions. After exploring the creatures, climate and challenges faced by Antarctic explorers both now and in the past, they were inspired to develop their own curiosity about the natural world; to explore it, understand it, enjoy it and fundamentally why we need to look after it. Back in the classroom, the children were encouraged to aim high when recounting their trip by focusing on working carefully and paying attention to detail.

Henrietta Platt, Head of Year 3

Year 5 have been focusing on different scales this term and composing individual pieces using the Garageband software. This week, they worked together on tuned percussion to recreate ‘In C’ by Terry Riley, a minimalist composer. They had to work collaboratively by composing a short motif (melody) based on the notes of the C major scale and then play their motif repeatedly. The motifs were gradually layered up until everyone was playing. Suggestions of how to improve their composition included reducing the amount of parts playing at some points in the piece to change the overall texture and limiting how many notes from the C major scale were being used in individual motifs. This work will now inform their compositions in the ICT suite next week.

Jess Harman, Year 5 Music Teacher

Healthy Habits is the new topic in Y6 PSHE. In this first lesson, children explored the idea of healthy and unhealthy habits. As always, speaking and listening are always encouraged in these lessons and 6DL demonstrated both to good effect, sharing their own ideas while respectfully taking onboard the thoughts of others. The children thoroughly enjoy their PSHE lessons, which are very often pupil led, as they allow them to discuss important issues.

Vivienne Liddell, Year 6 PSHE Teacher

In history this week, Year 7 were challenged to identify different factors that led to the independence of India in 1947. This relied greatly on the children’s problem solving skills as they had to come up with methods they might have used to try and force the British to leave India. The pupils came up with various methods and were then tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of these methods in order for India to achieve its aims.

Ed Elgood, Year 7 History Teacher

The primary learning objective for the girls’ first XI in their match against Twyford was to emphasise effective team communication and strategic play, encouraging them to implement skills acquired during their hockey tour to Holland and during their games lessons. The implementation of the leadership skill was particularly notable, as evident in Genny H’s excellent captaincy, which inspired the team to maintain focus and play cohesively in a superb 3-2 win. As a result, the girls gained a renewed sense of confidence and belief in their abilities, exemplified by their stellar performance in the first half. Additionally, the win reinforced the importance of perseverance and teamwork, fostering a positive team spirit among the players.

Rob Dilworth, Girls’ 1st XI Hockey Coach

The second XI produced a pleasing performance against a competitive Twyford team. Twyford were the stronger team in the early stages and scored from a well-worked short corner. But our girls rallied with some brilliant performances from Flora D and Jemima G, with the former levelling the score before halftime. The second half was a tight affair and the game could have gone either way, with both goalkeepers pulling off excellent saves. But we fought hard and eventually broke the deadlock and scored the decisive third goal courtesy of Coco B, just moments before goalkeeper Iona D pulled off a stunning save to keep Twyford out.

Robert Grech, Girls’ 2nd XI Hockey Coach

The third XI called on their reserves of resilience and adaptability as they came from 2-1 down at halftime to beat Twyford 4-2. Being behind at the break gave the girls a wonderful opportunity to overcome challenges and maintain a positive mindset – an opportunity they grabbed with both hands. And it was their ability to problem solve and make strategic adjustments during the game that ultimately led to their impressive comeback. The experience will have bolstered their confidence and strengthened their ability to handle pressure during intense matches.

Rob Dilworth, Girls’ 3rd XI Hockey Coach

Despite losing 1-0 to Twyford, the girls’ fourth XI learned the value of perseverance and sportsmanship. They realised that a strong team dynamic is crucial, especially in the most challenging of circumstances. The team’s cohesive efforts, not least during the later stages of the match, really demonstrated their commitment to supporting one another. And the game also served as a great learning curve, motivating the girls to continue working on their techniques, especially in front of goal.

Rob Dilworth, Girls’ 4th XI Hockey Coach

We have been working hard in Phonics and learning a new sound each day. The children have been aiming high and challenging themselves by writing words in their books and on the whiteboards. They are becoming more confident in their reading and writing and love finding out what our new sound will be.

Natasha Jacklin, Reception Class Teacher

Swimming is one of the best whole-body workouts. However, we also use our brain a great deal when we are swimming. We listen, we plan, we analyse, we plan again and we practise… a lot! This week, the children worked hard to develop their breast stroke skills. Using a gradual build up technique, the children aimed to swim as far as they could across a width of the pool. A challenging stroke to learn, with whole body timing, coordination of arms, legs and breathing. They built up their skills using woggles, floats and eventually attempted a whole width of breast stroke by themselves.

Jess Oecken, Head of Pre-prep Sport

The children set about writing an imaginative five-part story for the BBC 500-word competition. Their creativity allowed them to imagine different exciting situations which they could bring to life in their stories. The children really enjoyed having free reign with choosing their characters, settings and plots. They began by planning carefully and telling their story to friends using the pictures as prompts. This led to some refinement before putting pen to paper. Once written they were carefully edited to improve vocabulary and punctuation. Princesses rescuing frogs, razor sharks battling crocodiles, lost cave men trekking across mountains and dogs fighting forest fires, their stories have been incredibly imaginative.

Kerri Wilkes, Year 2 Class Teacher

Year 3 met the Dragons! The children were presented with a choice of six Iron Age inventions and the creative Year 3s embarked on deciding which invention would improve the lives of their Iron Age settlement the most. Tune in to future episodes to find out who will win the Dragons over.

Rosie Statham, Year 3 Class Teacher

In Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (PRE) Year 5 developed their growth mindsets. The children were asked to think of their own goal for the year and what strategies they can use to achieve this goal. To help them the children were shown a video about learning from failures. The quote ‘learning takes place in discomfort’ was discussed which motivated them to set ambitious goals.

Robert Grech, Year 5 Class Teacher

The Year 6s were set the task of producing a Tudor portrait in Art this week. They had to choose whether they would be a poor or rich Tudor and then had great fun designing their clothes, using images to help them. The children’s creativity shone as they thought carefully about how to make the clothes look authentically Tudor.

Tamsin Pearson, Art Teacher

In Maths the children were exploring how to change the subject of a formula. They used their prior knowledge of solving linear equations to grasp the concept of reversing operations. In an effort to always aim high these initial steps will eventually build up to challenging GCSE level questions. Pupils showed an excellent understanding and problem-solving skills and were keen to showcase their answers to the class.

Danny Parkinson, Head of Maths

In Spanish we have learnt to talk about professions. This week the children were looking at adjectives and which ones best described which professions. They put their creative skills to the test to produce drawings which they annotated explaining which jobs they thought they would be best suited to and why.

Jo Longshaw, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Listening to instructions and teamwork were at the fore of Reception’s cookery session this week. After a discussion on autumn foraging, the children agreed to use apples to create their own cake. They carefully sounded out words to make their own list of ingredients and then chopped, mixed, poured and sieved while sharing their prior knowledge on cooking. And the highlight? Eating their masterpiece, of course!

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

Enjoying the warm autumn sunshine, Year 1 headed up to Forest School with positivity, teamwork and creativity on their minds. We have been focusing on remaining brave and resilient in the face of challenge and the children explored the woods while being set the task of making magic wands using sticks and wool. The tricky job of tying knots and wrapping the wool around the sticks to fit their unique designs proved no problem for our talented bunch, who showed their positive nature and refused to give up.

Hannah Feery, Year 1 Class Teacher

In their Strictly Come Dancing-themed music lessons, Year 2 have been learning about two, three and four-beat time. Each week we focus on a different dance on the show and this week we looked at the Viennese Waltz being danced to music from the film Encanto. We recapped the conducting pattern for pieces in ‘three time’ and worked on our conducting skills to make Mrs Harman play the Blue Danube faster and slower on the piano. We really enjoyed working as a team to play different crotchet and quaver rhythms that equate to three beats in a bar on percussion instruments.

Jess Harman, Year 2 Music Teacher

In Spanish this week the children learnt the words of colours, which builds their vocabulary and develops their descriptive skills. Catchy songs with rhyming are a fantastic way to make learning colours fun and memorable. Year 3 are continually demonstrating their listening skills by learning to speak effectively using the appropriate language and this week added speaking and reading into the mix.

Leana Staring, Year 3 Spanish Teacher

The U10A girls displayed great skill and sportsmanship against Cranleigh. The game was tight and exciting with both teams playing some great netball. Highfield and Brookham really came to life in the final quarter, scoring five goals through effective possession and accurate shooting as resilience and teamwork shone through. The girls fell just short despite the late goal burst, going down 10-7, but can be really proud of their effort.

Helene Pidebois, Girls’ U10A Netball Coach

What an outstanding afternoon of netball for the U10B team against Cranleigh. The game was tight and end to end and it was no surprise that there was nothing between the sides at half-time, the teams locked together at 2-2. But the tide turned in the third quarter as Tabitha W scored three quick goals after quick thinking and accurate passing by the centre and goal attack each time. Sophia H made significant contributions during the match, as did fellow goalscorers Sienna A and Pandora M. Zoe L had a strong game in defence, breaking up several Cranleigh attacks, while Ottalie R, despite being heavily marked throughout, showed real resilience and never gave up. And an exceptional team performance, full of rotations, goals and beautiful forward passing, not to mention teamwork, resulted in a fine 10-5 win.

Viv Liddell, Girls’ U10B Netball Coach

What an amazing game of netball the U10C team played against Cranleigh! Take a group of girls aiming high, add some really super teamwork and mix it in with some individual brilliance and the girls had the recipe for a comfortable win. Cranleigh provided fine opposition but there was no stopping the home team, who were clearly working hard to put the skills they are learning in their Games lessons into practice. The icing on the cake was when the Cranleigh coach complimented the team on their sportsmanship. A brilliant all-round performance!

Steph Turner, Girls’ U10C Netball Coach

This week, 6SG created an orienteering route using six-figure grid references and instructional language. The children showed fantastic teamwork skills and plenty of creativity. The determined children created interesting routes around the school grounds by working together, producing clear and precise instructions for any runner to follow. Throughout the lesson, the children increased not only their knowledge of map work but also their desire to learn.

Simon Gunn, Year 6 Class Teacher

Year 7 have been designing pencil toppers to go with their tap and die stock acrylic pencil holders, which links with their project on plastics. Key skills of creativity and positivity were evident throughout as the children set their sights high as they moved deeper into this exciting project. As a result, the children enhanced their knowledge of computer-aided design and 3D design as well as sharpening their precision measuring skills.

Jamie Dew, Head of Design Technology

In History, Year 8 used their problem-solving skills to ascertain why William was able to win the Battle of Hastings. The major events of the battle were put in chronological order and the key turning points highlighted as the children deduced that it was mainly down to the Normans’ superior strength and skill, William’s better leadership, and a round of bad luck for Godwinson. The upshot was the children now face a fascinating debate – which of the three things was most important!

Mikayla Van Den Berg, Year 8 History Teacher

The Reception children were this week delighted to be joined by parents and grandparents at Forest School. Working as a team, the children, dads and granddads whittled sticks, built nests and toasted marshmallows over a campfire. The children had so much fun spending time with family and sharing their woodland experiences.

Natasha Jacklin, Reception Class Teacher

Teamwork, listening and creativity were key as Year 1 were challenged to create a piece of art based on their current ‘superheroes’ topic. Working together, the children listened to each other’s ideas before agreeing how best to complete the collaborative art task, using their creative skills to incorporate natural resources into their artwork. The outcome was not only beautiful art but a building or cementing of friendships while consolidating an understanding of the people who help us.

Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher

On the topic of rewards and consequences, Year 2 were set the learning objective of listening to other people and contributing their own ideas during discussions as they got to grips with understanding the connection between behaviour and consequence. After learning what ‘consequence’ means and understanding that every behaviour has a consequence, the children suggested good choices that can make the classroom a safe and happy place to be and discovered that rewards are a positive consequence of such choices.

Lindsay Langrish, Year 2 Class Teacher

After exploring replica Stone Age artefacts, the avid Year 3s were tasked with making their own tools of the period at Forest School. With a focus on staying positive and aiming high, the children used strategies to help them stay calm when challenged with tying knots while demonstrating deep focus and careful hand-eye coordination when shaping pieces of wood. Their perseverance and attention to detail paid off, resulting in some creatively crafted hand axes, spears, awls, bows and arrows.

Henrietta Platt, Year 3 Class Teacher

Year 5 were this week tasked with exploring one of Roald Dahl’s characters in greater detail and focusing on the genre of comedy in a performance. They used the essential skill of creativity to portray Mr and Mrs Twit and gain a greater understanding of these characters. The children honed their script-reading skills, applying their knowledge to a character and then using their imagination to answer questions ‘in character’ through a hot-seating activity.

Sarah Baird, Head of Drama

Year 6 have this week been completing their journey through Latin prepositions – in, super and sub to name but a few – with links to English again at the fore. With the meanings secure, the pupils went on to express their creativity by effecting visual reminders involving a pig, a house and a lake. As ever, the outcome was a mix of serious linguistic material with a bit of fun along the way!

Alex Walker, Head of Classics

In wellbeing time this week, after our usual meditation, the children turned their hand to origami. It is a wonderfully creative and calming activity that really focuses the children’s minds. It was fabulous to watch the determination to succeed in each and every child as, on occasion, they had to start over several times to make the right fold in the right place as per the instructions. It was a real chance to develop the skill of staying positive and working out exactly what had gone wrong each time before spotting the solution. The end result was very rewarding.

Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PSHE

The past few weeks, Year 8 have been learning about different chemical reactions as part of their chemistry syllabus. This week, they channelled their skills in staying positive, teamwork and listening to discover how metals react with air, acid and water – with some particularly explosive reactions with sodium! After receiving instructions on which specific pieces of apparatus to use, the children worked together to identify the gases produced from some of the reactions, staying positive if the experiments didn’t get the desired result first time around.

Ollie Hamilton, Head of Science

The learning objective for the Reception children was to think about new beginnings by exploring the natural world around them. They dug and cut down old sunflower plants, working together as a team. They were then given the opportunity to explore the sunflower heads and were delighted to discover the seeds inside. Having tasted the fruits of their harvest the young learners replanted the seeds and are excited by the prospect of nurturing them and watching them grow again next year.

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

In literacy, Year 1 worked hard to innovate their class text. The children used their creative skills to change the characters and the setting. Aiming high, the young writers focused on the need to ensure that all of their sentences had a capital letter, fingers spaces and full stops.

Kathleen Salusbury, Year 1 Class Teacher

Making full use of the plentiful school grounds, Year 2 were tasked with mapping a natural habitat and identifying what lives there. Using key listening skills to understand the objectives, the children labelled their sketches and suggested what may live there and what resources would be needed for them to survive. As a result, Year 2 gained a greater awareness of the school environment and how it is a habitat for so many different animals, birds and insects.

Charlie Millsom, Head of Year 2

Year 3 took to the Sports Hall to develop their co-ordination skills in order to enhance their sporting ability. The children focussed predominantly on listening skills and aiming high, ensuring they used the correct techniques to master different challenges and activities such as maintaining control of a badminton shuttlecock and plotting their way across a horizontal agility ladder. The lesson was a big success as the active children proved that they are engaged and making clear progress.

Dan Bather, Director of Sport

Year 5 have been learning about world food. They pondered different families from around the globe, considering what their weekly shop may consist of and how much it might cost. They also looked at the sorts of food the families may opt for, for example processed or fresh, and where it comes from. The focus of the lesson was speaking and the subject led to some lovely discussions that carried on into the playground. The children gained a fascinating insight into the types of food that different families consider staples in their weekly shop, with examples from contrasting countries such as the Sudan, Egypt, Poland, the UK and the United States.

Stephanie Turner, Year 5 Class Teacher

We are settling into a new era with languages at Highfield and Brookham and are excited to be able to step away from some more traditional ‘classroom’ language into using more ‘real world’ vocabulary. With a focus on animals, Year 6 put their positivity skills to good use this week as they learned to decipher a text of fairly unknown vocabulary using images and cognates to help them. They successfully translated, in small, independent groups which relied on teamwork, three different profiles about wild animals – realising they can access more than they thought.

Jo Longshaw, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Year 7 are honing their listening skills to learn about recorded sound this term. Technology has developed so fast since the days of the Sony Walkman and the Minidisk (remember those?) and the way one accesses music (without actually owning it) is something I’m keen for our young musicians to understand. We handled some vinyl records and the children heard some anecdotes about my teenage years, including the much-maligned Sports Walkman which stopped being waterproof the moment the headphones were plugged in! Year 7 took away with them increased knowledge about how we got from Edison’s phonograph to the streaming services of today.

John Mühlemann, Director of Music

A wonderful week in France for Year 8, taking full advantage of the majesty offered in Normandy. From discovering the routes of the Norman Conquest in 1066 to realising the efforts and sacrifices made in 1944, it has been an opportunity for this cohort to be inquisitive in a different environment while also building closer bonds. They have had opportunities to develop many of their skills, including listening, teamwork, staying positive and problem solving. The group has been a delight to travel with and ensured they took full advantage of this past week and all it had to offer.

James Figgis, Head of Upper Prep

Reception took an invigorating wellbeing walk this week to help both mind and body. The focus for the children during their ramble was on staying positive and an interesting discussion ensued on how best they could achieve this and support each other. The windy weather also offered up magical moments for the children, who had great fun trying to catch falling leaves and were left spellbound watching the branches swaying in the breeze. The children loved their walk and said how happy and calm they felt afterwards.

Natasha Jacklin, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 took time out of their busy schedules during Wellbeing Day on Tuesday, heading outside to enjoy the fresh air and special time in the company of children from Year 8. The children focused on the skills of staying positive and speaking, taking the opportunity to chat with their prep school friends about the early days of life in Year 1 and asking for tips on how to be better learners. The children visibly grew in confidence as they opened up about any worries or anxieties they had about starting in a new year group, and they also found time to focus on themselves and their own positive mindsets.

Hannah Feery, Year 1 Class Teacher

Tuesday’s visit by Milly, the anxious puppet, presented Year 2 with an interactive, engaging and informative trip through the ‘Wellbeing Jungle’. There, they learnt to recognise signs of how it can feel, physically and mentally, to be worried. The children used their excellent listening skills to reflect upon Milly’s worries. They thought about how you could have funny, uncomfortable feelings in your tummy, your breathing could become faster and you might lose sleep, making you even more tired and even more worried! Using their teamwork skills, the children discussed their own strategies for overcoming their worries.

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

Creativity, problem solving and teamwork were to the fore as Year 3 were tasked with reproducing Stone Age headdresses. Children worked together using modern materials such as cardboard, string, sticky tape and felt-tip pens to craft their unique creations. It was amazing to witness the children cleverly applying their understanding of Stone Age materials and innovation methods to design and create their very own celebratory headgear.

Rosie Statham, Head of Lower Prep

As part of Wellbeing Day, Year 5 were fully engaged in a workshop which focused on resilience. The aim of Tuesday’s inspirational session run by Alicia Drummond, founder of mental health support organisation Teen Tips, was to get the children really thinking about the idea of resilience and what it actually looks and feels like in real life. This is such a crucial element of developing their staying positive mindset and the children came away with a real sense of determination to put their best feet forward, even when it might seem a little daunting.

Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PSHE

On Tuesday, as part of our wellbeing focus, the last session of the day was set aside for Year 6 to choose from a wide range of activities which they felt were good for their mental health. Many of the children enjoyed the endorphin rush of a busy game of dodgeball, others enjoyed the calm and relaxing atmosphere created in the Art room, a practical session in the DT studio, a leisurely walk or even a collective sing song in the Music School. Wellbeing is about the individual, and we are great believers in promoting that message across the school.

Vivienne Liddell, Year 6 Class Teacher

It was a real privilege for Year 7 to be involved in a workshop on ‘Understanding Adolescence’ delivered by Alicia Drummond, founder of mental health support organisation Teen Tips. Alicia worked through a series of challenging scenarios with a view to helping the children understand exactly what changes are occurring in their brains as they move into the teenage years, a level of understanding that will feed into all of the eight essential skills that the children are working so hard to develop, including listening, problem solving and teamwork.

Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PSHE

Our wonderful team of Peer Listeners spent time in the Pre-prep playground as part our wellbeing focus day on Tuesday. This gave the caring children an opportunity to put their listening skills into practice as they engaged, played and empathised with the younger children, who always relish the chance to converse with and learn from the older pupils.

Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PSHE

With the new academic year under way, the Reception children have been learning the importance of recognising and managing their feelings. They were encouraged to listen to our calm chime, closing their eyes and focusing on their breathing and how they were feeling in that moment. The children then shared their experiences with their friends and it was a delight to see their kindness as they thought of ways to support each other.

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 were set the learning objective of appreciating the value of books; participating in class discussion around Julia Donaldson’s children’s favourite The Detective Dog and making links between the book and our school library. Bringing the task to life, the children had to solve the problem of finding a dog who could sniff out some missing books and their teaching assistants, something they did with a little help from Mrs Wilkes and her trusty pooch. The result was a huge amount of enthusiasm for visiting the library and choosing their own weekly books for the first time and reading in the great outdoors!

Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher

The essential skill of problem solving was at the heart of Year 2’s first Maths challenge of the new school year. Tackling number and place value up to 100, the children pondered techniques to identify quickly whole numbers and learn to partition into tens and ones, and they enjoyed using part-whole models to find missing numbers. Year 2 certainly rose to the challenge, gaining the confidence to order, compare and make links with numbers, while getting to grips with worded problems was also an aspect of the lesson they enjoyed.

Charlie Millsom, Head of Year 2

In Year 3, we have been thinking about what it means to actively listen, by not just receiving information but thinking about it at the same time so that we understand what is being said. With a focus on what it means to interrupt and why should we avoid it, the children discussed the positive and less-positive reasons for interrupting. In small groups, the children were challenged to have a conversation about what a great party would look like, with one of them taking on the role of observer to monitor the instances of interruptions.

Henrietta Platt, Year 3 Class Teacher

Year 5 were working on their global location knowledge this week. They displayed great problem-solving skills as they encountered atlases for the first time, using the index to find various countries and their capitals. There was much enthusiasm and competitiveness in expanding their geographical knowledge.

Ed Elgood, Year 5 Class Teacher

Inventive Year 6 considered symmetry and perspective as they produced a vision board for their steady-hand game. Listening, creativity and aiming-high skills came into play as the children used an array of sketching materials as well as producing quality 3D design work. The result was that Year 6 worked really well and displayed great aptitude for independent thinking during technical drawing and implementing the accuracy of shading to form their 3D shapes.

Jamie Dew, Head of Design Technology

Year 7 enjoyed a one-night residential this week, focused on two areas – geography river studies and teamwork. The trip to Juniper Hill in Dorking allowed the group to sharpen their collaborative skills throughout the visit, working together to collect and record primary data from numerous river sites and work through various challenges such as orienteering and the creative ‘egg-drop challenge’. It was wonderful to see the group come together and take full advantage of this opportunity to develop further a range of essential skills.

James Figgis, Head of Upper Prep

8B2 developed their creativity skills this week while exploring the idea of ‘home’. The children considered what home meant to them and then began to create a detailed description of a dwelling of their choice, using a range of interesting vocabulary to add real depth to their musings. It was great to see the children’s confidence lift as they used ever-expansive language to describe their idyllic homes.

Lucy Hendry, Year 8 English Teacher

At the end of what has been a successful and joyful year for this fantastic bunch of Reception children, we celebrate all that they have achieved. As individuals and as a group they have blossomed in so many ways, stretching their learning muscles and taking every opportunity to develop physically, mentally and emotionally. Whether stepping out of their comfort zone to increase their confidence speaking in front of their friends and classmates, trying their hand at something new or mastering a tricky concept, Reception have really challenged themselves all year and made huge strides forward. In doing so, the visible sense of achievement and pride on their faces has been wonderful for parents and teachers to see. And their amazing levels of perseverance were evident as they learnt new songs for a special midweek concert. They weren’t the easiest songs to sing for children so young but they never gave up and put on a wonderful performance. Such was the determination of the children to perform to the best of their ability that they rehearsed the lyrics during snack time, up at Forest School and even at the end of the day. It was a beautiful performance and epitomised the love, joy and passion that this year group has for every aspect of life. We have been extremely lucky to cherish so many special memories with the children and I feel particularly lucky as I will continue to teach them in Year 1 from September. I wish them all fun and happy summer holidays and can’t wait to see lots of smiling faces on the first day back in the autumn.

Hannah Feery, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 this week played their full part in a wonderful end-of-term concert to sign off for the summer holidays in fine style. They sang beautifully and played a diverse range of instruments with real determination and panache, with the big highlight playing alongside older and more established prep school musicians. And Year 1 had a starring role of their own as they learnt the lyrics and actions for a super song all about creepy crawlies, which they performed beautifully. Year 1 have been an absolute pleasure to teach this year and have clearly matured and developed in so many ways in and out of the classroom. I wish them all a fun and happy summer holiday and hope they come back refreshed and raring to go as they embark on life in Year 2 in September.

Rachael Berry, Year 1 Class Teacher

The broad and varied pre-prep curriculum is encapsulated by the final few weeks of the Summer Term. Adapting to and embracing different learning types is important and Year 2 put this into practice by learning all about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy and the subsequent disaster that befell the city of Pompeii. Armed with the facts, the young historians then wrote their innovated tales and acted them out. Continuing the history theme, Year 2 revelled in hands-on Roman workshops, collaborating with visiting parents to build aqueducts, and took in a fascinating trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace. And in the last few days of term, the children finished a successful design and technology project where they created their very own impressive Roman shields and helmets which they put to good use by having a pitched battle in the playground, demonstrating their ability to fend of attacks by forming a Roman shield ‘tortoise’. What a memorable finale for Year 2, which reflects the joy, energy and enthusiasm that this year group has brought to its learning. Wishing you all a healthy, happy and relaxed summer holiday.

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

Wow, what a truly memorable production!  The Year 3 production of Peter Pan was truly a triumph and a wonderful example of children’s drama and performance at its best. From the songs and the set to the acting and costumes, the audience were given a real treat. As they soared above Neverland, fought against Hook’s pirates and welcomed the Lost Boys into the Darlings’ Nursery, Year 3 showed their proud parents just how to put on a show. The children received lavish praise from Mrs Baber, who said just how far all of the children had come as they said a brilliant farewell to pre-prep life before moving up to prep school in September. Mrs Baber added that their play would live long in her memory, in particular, the sheer joy on the faces of the children as they sang and danced. The cast was amazing, with super acting, emotional character arcs and limitless energy from absolutely everyone. Perhaps the standout part of the performance was the rapturous singing of such earworms as Pirates of the Sea, Don’t Look Down and Tick Tock – all of which could be heard being hummed regularly all over school. Credit must also go to Mrs Harman for raising the children’s singing to such heights, and to Mrs Platt for her peerless directing. But what made this year’s performance truly exceptional was the support that the children gave each other – and an unusually participatory and vocal audience!

Stephanie Turner, Year 3 Class Teacher

Year 5 got a taste of living history as they visited Fishbourne Roman Palace, built by the Romans for local Celtic king Togidubnus. The pupils watched an introductory video which explained how mosaic floors were discovered by accident in the 1960s when builders were laying a new water main; when their quality was spotted the site was swiftly purchased and the mosaics protected. They went on to explore the museum (an entire wing of the palace has been uncovered) and were given the chance to dress as Romans, try various Roman activities in a workshop, and get a taste of Roman food in the banqueting hall. Thankfully, with grey clouds looming, the weather held and the children got to walk round the recreated Roman gardens and visit the fascinating potting shed to hear from the (waxwork) head gardener about the challenges of growing food in this climate. Before leaving, Year 5 got the chance to pick up some souvenirs from the gift shop, with the Roman coins proving particularly popular. And there were plenty of opportunities for the children to demonstrate their knowledge of Latin phrases and complement what they had learnt during the year about the Roman influence on this part of the world.

Alex Walker, Head of Classics

Despite the cloudy forecast, the sun shone brightly at Littlehampton on Thursday as Year 6 headed to the beach. On arrival at the coast, the excited children ran straight into the sea to paddle – many in their clothes before realising that swimming gear would probably be a better idea – with some experiencing the English Channel for the very first time. As well as the sea, the sandy beach was a big draw with the children entertaining themselves with boules, cricket, football, sunbathing and sandcastle building. After so much fun in the sun, Year 6 turned their attention to the ice cream stalls and the funfair, with the water ride, dodgems and waltzers proving extremely popular. It was a privilege to spend the day with the children who, on several occasions, earned wonderful compliments from members of the public for their good manners and good behaviour. Well done, Year 6!

Viv Liddell, Head of Year 6

Throughout the course of this academic year, time has been set aside to bring children from Year 7 and Year 3 together. This has been done through both the weekly prep school Keys programme and regular visits by the older children to the Year 3 classrooms, with the aim of allowing Year 7 to develop their leadership, group work, communication and community skills. And on Monday, as a lovely way to mark a successful union, the Year 7 children were invited to lunch by their young charges, an invitation they happily accepted. There was plenty of excitement within the year group as they spent time with a combination of younger siblings and children they met throughout the year. The opportunity to remind themselves of where many of this cohort were four years ago allowed both the children and staff to see just how much they have developed over the past few years, both individually and as a collective. After lunch, all the children headed to Chapel Field and it was a joy to see how well the older children interacted with Year 3, whether instigating games of ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ or simply playing catch with tennis balls. Year 7’s behaviour was exemplary and the example set for the children transitioning into Year 4 was wonderful. These relationships are important, particularly for Year 3, as it’s not long now until Year 7 are at the top of the school and leading our community by example. There are exciting times ahead with this excellent year group.

James Figgis, Head of Year 7

Parents, staff and children alike were blown away this week by our incredible Year 8 leavers as they performed their adaptation of hit musical Bugsy Malone. Every single one of the 55-strong cohort gave an outstanding performance, coming together as one incredible ensemble to tell the story of two rival gangs led by Fat Sam and Dandy Dan. The sports hall was transformed into 1920s downtown New York, featuring two moving staircases, a real bar and genuine speakeasy teapots complete with surprise cocktails on the cabaret tables for the audience to enjoy! The oldest cohort has been such a wonderful year group and the children are so special to me, as many of them were part of my first Year 5 form group when I joined the school four years ago. It has been such a privilege to watch them grow into such creative, confident, talented young people and I can honestly say I have loved every minute of directing them in Bugsy Malone. To see all their happy faces (albeit splurged faces!) in the final song ‘You Gotta Give a Little Love’ made me so proud of every single one of them. As the lyrics say, “no doubt about it, it must be worthwhile, good friends do tend to make you smile”…. Year 8 have been such a joy to work with and I wish them all the very best for the adventures that lie ahead!

Sarah Baird, Head of Drama

The Reception children have had a fantastic week, enjoying the beautiful weather and making their own ice lollies. They have been learning new vocabulary and independently sequencing recipe pictures which allowed them to exercise their creativity and decision-making skills. The children worked together, demonstrating collaboration, as they mixed, squeezed and pulped the ingredients for their ice lollies. They enjoyed using all their senses by smelling and tasting the ingredients along the way. After their successful ice lolly making session, the young learners used their resilient learning muscles to write their own recipes. They began their sentences with imperative verbs, which not only helped them practice their writing skills but also reinforced the importance of clear instructions in a recipe. After a hot and busy week at school, the children definitely deserved their well-earned treat of the delicious and refreshing ice lollies they had created themselves.

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 have been busy in their specialist art lessons over the past few weeks. They have been discussing plastic pollution and the importance of reusing and recycling everyday objects to help the landfill and environmental crisis.  By using plastic bottles, the children have designed and made bees practising a variety of artistic techniques. Once these were finished the children moved onto making careful observational drawings of butterflies. Art helps children to learn to observe the world around them more closely, this helped on our trip to Wisley where the children looked carefully at the many beautiful butterflies in the glasshouse. Once back at school they were able to use their self-expression to create their own butterfly patterns using ink and pastels.

Kerri Wilkes, Head of Year 1

The children have been looking into handling a range of data in Maths. The children collected, organised, analysed and interpreted an assortment of data. The focus has been to record information in a tally format or pictogram. The children used these recording short-cut methods to quickly work out the frequency. All of the information collected was based on the children choosing their favourite animals, foods, places to visit and school lessons. It was wonderful to see Maths high up in the results! The children displayed their collected data in the format of bar charts allowing them to quickly identify the greatest or most popular animal, lesson or food in the class and the least favourite and enabled them to work out the differences between two certain focuses. There was also time to reflect on their predictions and use the data to support their answers. Year 3 worked collaboratively and used their resourceful thinking muscle to question and make links. Data handling is an integral part of children’s mathematical understanding. By allowing the children the opportunity to learn about, and use data, helps them make sense of information. All the skills and operations the children have been learning this year can be used whilst working with statistics too. Everyone has had an amazing time exploring their education in this way and it has allowed the children the opportunity to identify patterns, trends, predict and plan.

Charlie Millsom, Head of Year 2

After weeks of learning the songs and their lines, the Year 3 play is starting to take shape as rehearsals ramp up ahead of next week’s production of Peter Pan. With costumes and props at the ready, there has been much excitement and enthusiasm as the children encouraged one another and taken pride in practising their scenes together. Inspired by Year 4 earlier in the week, who set the bar high with their play, Go For Gold, the children recognised the importance of being a good audience, whilst also remembering to project their voices slowly and clearly. Our budding actors have had to dig deep and show their resilience as they have come to realise that practise means progress. With a smile on their faces as they sing and act their hearts out, the Year 3 teachers are immensely proud of their collaborative achievements so far, and know they will soon be ready to steal the show.

Henrietta Platt, Head of Year 3

The Highfield U10s’ cricket season culminated with fixtures against St Edmunds with each team winning in convincing style. Their season was marked by outstanding sportsmanship, commendable teamwork, noticeable improvement and abundant talent. The team’s unwavering commitment to fair play and respect for opponents exemplified exceptional sportsmanship. They really embraced the spirit of cricket, displaying grace in victory and resilience in defeat. Teamwork played a pivotal role in the U10s’ success. The players collaborated seamlessly, supporting and motivating each other throughout the season. Their effective communication and shared goals fostered a positive and cohesive team environment. Significant improvement was evident across all aspects of the game. Through dedicated practise and coaching, the U10s honed their skills, displaying remarkable growth in batting, bowling and fielding and this commitment to personal development yielded positive results on the field. Their tactical understanding, adaptability, and decision-making skills improved, contributing to their overall performance. Talent flourished within the U10s team. The players exhibited exceptional skills, demonstrating their natural ability and passion for the sport. Their talents were instrumental in the team’s achievements throughout the season.

Rob Dilworth, U10 Cricket Coach

In English this week, 6B2 have started work on a persuasive writing task which everyone in the class is hoping will win them prizes! The aim is to enter a national competition in which the first prize is a trip to Disneyland! The challenge which has been set is to write a speech entitled “If I were in charge for a day…”. We started by brainstorming all the different things we might like to be in charge of. We were ambitious in our plans, which ranged from ruling the world to running a zoo. The next task was to identify the characteristics which would qualify us to be in charge. We came up with a range of adjectives to sell ourselves as potential leaders: fearless, trustworthy, motivated and inspiring. We have also been looking at persuasive devices, learning that a persuasive device is a method or tool to help us convince our audience and so we will be incorporating rhetorical questions, fact and opinion, the rule of three, hyperbole and emotive language into our speeches. When we have written, edited and corrected the speeches, we will present them in class before submitting them and awaiting the results! Wish us luck…

Katy Warner, Head of English

All subjects are working together to ensure this year group knows all that there is to know about the tragic disaster that occurred on the evening of the 14^th April 1912. In History, we are investigating who was to blame for the sinking? Was Captain Smith most to blame for the disaster? He, after all, reportedly ignored several iceberg warnings and was ploughing through an iceberg area at close to top speed. Or were Harland and Wolff, the builders of the ship more culpable? They after all reportedly cut corners when building the ship to extend profits. When rivets from the ship were first bought to the surface in the 1980’s, they discovered they were poorly made and brittle in ice cold environments. Hardly ideal. Year 7, with great academic aforethought, have been busily shaping a rigorous History essay over the last couple of weeks on this very topic. They are keen to share all with their parents before the end of term.

James Ridge, Head of History

It was wonderful to celebrate the Confirmation of ten of our Year 8 pupils on Thursday afternoon: Poppy, Elliott, Emily, Dee Dee, Annabel, Sophia, Xanthe, Oscar, Samantha, and Rosie. The Service began with baptising Oscar, and it was also a lovely opportunity for all the Confirmands to affirm their faith alongside Oscar as he was baptised before the Confirmation began. The Rt Rev. Bishop Geoffrey Annas led the service and reminded the children they are to remember the ‘light of Jesus is there to guide them as they go through life’. It was a fabulous occasion, and wonderful to have seen so many parents and Godparents attend. Our thanks to the Rt Rev. Bishop Annas, the Rt Rev. Nigel Nicholson for conducting a wonderful service and to the catering team for such a delicious afternoon tea following the Service. The choir sang beautifully, and my thanks to Mr Muhlemann for masterminding the music for the Service.

Ian Nicholas, Deputy Head Academic

A teaspoon of grass, a pinch of dust, four petals and six drops of water mixed together and shaken three times was one of the exciting potions created by our enthusiastic Reception children. Building upon their knowledge of the text ‘Instructions for how to make a potion’, the inventive children spent time collecting a range of interesting and unusual ingredients from all over our wonderful grounds. Once they had collected their goodies, the children stretched their relating learning muscles when working together to decide how much of each ingredient was to be included in the creative and curious potions. And they even linked their potion project to their Maths when considering the different measurements that they were going to include in their marvellous mixtures. This required a dash of discussion, a pinch of patience and a cup of collaboration at times before the children were ready to produce perfect potions. So, with a mix and a shake and a huge tablespoon of wonderful imagination, a plethora of fantastic creations were concocted. Some claimed to make people invisible, others turn teachers into dinosaurs. What was certain was that there was a great deal of laughter as the children experimented with their brilliant brews. While none of the potions quite managed to do what they said on the tin, the keen Reception learners were undeterred and are determined to keep on experimenting to find the perfect potion!

Georgie Hunter, Head of Reception

Enthusiastic and environmentally-minded Year 1 have thoroughly enjoyed working together to create a special area for compost in our wonderful woods. The eco project has taken several weeks, but the children have shown commitment, hard work and perseverance during their regular sessions at Forest School. Year 1 began by gathering fallen hazel branches, which involved great dexterity and technique using saws and long-handled secateurs, carefully shaping them into the correct length and thickness for their green plans. Once gathered and shaped, the children worked together to transport the hazel to a special site within their dedicated Forest School area. The industrious children then removed leaves and stripped the branches, ensuring that all offcuts were saved for future use, such as whittling around the campfire. Several children were than tasked with using little mallets to erect a wooden perimeter around which the hazel would be woven, demonstrating their excellent problem-solving techniques along the way as they decided that they needed a little water to soften the hard ground in order to keep the stakes in place. Once content that the structure was sound, everyone had a go at weaving the hazel. Year 1 worked together diligently and steadfastly and they are now the proud owners of a compost which is ready for use.

Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher

Excitement filled the air as Year 2 enthusiastically bounced into their respective classrooms on Monday morning. It was abundantly clear from the outset that the children had only one thing on their minds – playing in their first ever Brookham kwik cricket tournament and hosting our near neighbours from Churcher’s College Junior School. Such is the importance of cricket for many children that they had forgotten that it was also ‘Moving Up’ day. When they returned to their classes, they recounted their fabulous mornings creating books and participating in team-building exercises with their soon-to-be new teachers, Mrs Platt and Mrs Statham. So, after a hearty and healthy lunch to refuel, lashings of sunscreen and water to rehydrate, they bounded across to the prep school cricket pitches – and the tournament surpassed even the children’s wildest expectations. They collaborated within their teams, showed resilience against a good standard of opposition and demonstrated the developing batting and fielding skills that they have acquired from their games lessons and in diamond cricket club this term. The children entertained their superbly supportive spectators with an array of fine shots, great effort in the field and, most of all exceptional, sportsmanship. But the final word went to the legendary match tea which was a true delight!

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

With food being the language of love, Spanish proved to be a real treat for Year 3 this week as Mrs Staring brought in an array of lovely tapas for the children to sample. The children began their tasty project by labelling pictures of some delicious Spanish treats, including tortilla de patatas, las olivas, chorizo and una ensalada Rusa handmade by Mr Grech. They then took turns to sample the morsels of delicious food and gave their verdict in Spanish. It was really encouraging to see the children try everything and that their favourite response was “quiero mas” or “more please”. Far and away Year 3’s favourite food was the manchego sheep’s cheese which went down extremely well with all three classes. All in all, it has been an exciting week, with Moving Up day on Monday and every other spare minute spent practising our year-end production. The children are starting to get ready for the challenges ahead and the frantic fun that signals the end of term and the start of summer.

Stephanie Turner, Year 3 Class Teacher

Year 5 have continued to thrive with their co-curricular studies. These inter-disciplinary activities, undertaken during the children’s invaluable Thursday afternoon Keys sessions, really enrich the children’s learning experience and cover a multitude of disciplines. This week, Year 5 were split into groups to focus on projects in Art, Dance, Bushcraft and Orienteering. Art lessons in Year 5 focus on nurturing creativity, developing artistic skills and fostering an appreciation for visual aesthetics while Dance offers the children a unique opportunity for self-expression, creativity, and physical coordination. Year 5 have embraced Orienteering with enthusiasm and demonstrated remarkable growth having been exposed to various key techniques such as map reading, compass navigation and route planning. And Bushcraft equips the children with essential outdoor survival skills, environmental awareness, and an appreciation for the natural world. As well as enhancing the children’s day-to-day learning, these co-curricular activities also help them develop essential skills such as problem solving, teamwork, self-expression, creativity, and an appreciation for environmental awareness. We are proud of their achievements and the continued effort they put into these key lessons.

Rob Dilworth, Head of Co-curricular Learning

The annual Year 6 campout is always a firm favourite with the children – and this year was no exception. Armed with sleeping bags, spare clothes and water, around 50 excited children headed up to the golf course for a night of camping under the stars and all that that entails. But before they could even think about a good night’s sleep with their friends – or distinct lack of sleep in some cases – the children had to work together in their groups to erect their tents. Faced with an array of floppy canvas, tent pegs, poles, rope and mallets, this was no easy task, but the children worked together in their teams to great effect to ensure they had somewhere safe, warm and cosy to sleep. Dinner, games and hot chocolate around the campfire followed before Year 6 finally crashed out at various stages of the night. An early start followed with the sun up so early – certainly much earlier than the accompanying adults anticipated – but the enthusiasm of the young campers didn’t wane as they ate a leisurely breakfast before heading to the woods for a day of bushcraft around the campfire. It was lovely seeing Year 6 immersing themselves in the whole campout experience right from the off and working so well to get results and having great fun along the way.

Jo Gordon, Head of PE and Girls’ Games

Underfoot conditions may not have been typical of the event, but Year 7 rose to the challenge of their very own ‘Tough Mudder’ this week. While competitors of similarly named events have sticky mud to contend with, the children had to overcome rising temperatures, hard ground and a variety of tricky obstacles instead. With Year 7 split into groups of six boys and girls, the emphasis in this timed challenge was firmly on teamwork. With around a dozen obstacles ahead of them, including two cargo nets, balance beams, a rope swing and monkey bars, the teams set off at two-minute intervals with the twist that each squad member must successfully complete each section of the course or all six would have to tackle the obstacle again. Bearing this in mind, the children soon learned that the best approach was to stick together as a group in order to help their teammates overcome each obstacle. The result was noticeable as the teams made relatively light work of what was a challenging course which culminated in a slip ‘n’ slide and a lung-busting run to the finish line. It seems the old adage is true – many hands do indeed make light work.

Jo Gordon, Head of PE and Girls’ Games

Exams may be over but the learning has continued in earnest this week for Year 8. Key skills have been developed in beautiful Pembrokeshire this week as communication and collaborative skills have helped pupils face challenges and push through their comfort zone. They have faced their fears jumping off rocks into the sea, climbing cliffs and surfing waves. Team skills were developed through beach games and bread making while creativity helped them come up with ways to tackle problem-solving tasks. Year 8 have also considered the impact we have on the environment; learning about nature, spotting the wonderful marine wildlife and a trip to a bug farm taught us all about the possible protein source of the future. Finally, the children have learned to listen; to instructors, to teachers but, more importantly, to each other and to their surroundings. They have made many happy memories and will hopefully come back to school rejuvenated and ready to put on an amazing end-of-year production.

Jo Longshaw, Head of Year 8

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

Our Reception children have been immersed in a range of fantastic clubs this week. These clubs not only provide opportunities for fun but also allow the children to develop key learning skills. In Exploring Nature Club, the children have embraced their creativity and imagination by using natural resources to make self-portraits. It has been a delight to see their artistic talents shine as they express themselves through these unique creations. Additionally, they have learned about environmental awareness by constructing bug houses from twigs and plastic bottles, providing habitats for insects. Furthermore, the children have honed their observational skills by making beautiful drawings of wild flowers in our school grounds. Lego Club has been a collaborative endeavour, with the children working together to construct designs. This club has nurtured their teamwork abilities and problem-solving skills as they explore the endless possibilities of building with Lego. The children have enjoyed the hands-on experience and the opportunity to exercise their creativity in constructing various structures. Multisports Club has been a fantastic platform for the children to develop their gross motor skills. Through engaging in a range of sports activities, they have enhanced their coordination, balance and physical fitness. It has been a joy to witness their enthusiasm and growth in these areas as they participate in energetic games and exercises. The Book Club has offered them a valuable opportunity to engage in quiet and focused reading, exploring a diverse selection of non-fiction and fiction texts. This club has been instrumental in developing their comprehension skills and fostering a love for reading. The clubs this year have provided our Reception children with diverse learning opportunities. We are proud of their accomplishments, creativity, and development of important skills, and we look forward to continuing to nurture their interests and providing them with exciting club experiences in the future.

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

What incredibly resilient little swimmers we have in Year 1. Tuesday’s swimming gala highlighted not only the progress the children have made over the year in the pool but also in terms of their stamina, grit and determination. Initially planning to get the children to swim widths of our lovely indoor pool, the gala was reorganised so that Year 1 swam lengths for their races in recognition of the impressive progress the children had made. At this age, performing a skill like this in front of an audience of parents is amazing and takes great courage, and we were all so proud of each and every child’s performance.

Kerri Wilkes, Head of Year 1

This term Year 2 have been expanding their knowledge of world faiths by learning all about Judaism. In the classroom, the children have learnt to recognise The Star of David and the Menorah as key symbols of Judaism while discovering that synagogues are sacred places where Jewish people learn, worship God and congregate as a community. On Wednesday, the children got to bring their learning to life as they visited the Portsmouth and Southsea Synagogue. Once inside, Year 2 were amazed when host David Clannachan drew back heavy velvet curtains to reveal an ark of the covenant which contained ornate Torah scrolls, which are believed to be 200-300 years old and filled with the five books of Moses. With art books at the ready, the children were then tasked with sketching any aspects of the synagogue that really captured their imagination, resulting in some fine drawings. It was a wonderful learning experience for Year 2 and one which is sure to live long in the children’s memories and help them to understand and appreciate the Jewish faith.

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

With the sun shining, the coach was a veritable buzz of excitement as Year 3 embarked on an orienteering expedition around Queen Elizabeth Country Park, near Petersfield. The task, quite simply, was for the children to find their way from markers numbered one to eight by recognising and reading key symbols on an Ordnance Survey map. Careful observational and awareness skills were vital to ensure the children didn’t make unnecessary deviations and detours. Deciding which path to take as they climbed up the steep hill and into the enticing forest gave the children a valuable opportunity to work as a team. After finding their way back to the start, the number of steps were exchanged before Year 3 took to a welcoming grassy area to enjoy a well-earned picnic. After lunch, the children used a kinaesthetic approach – which requires manipulation or touch – to learn about the different types of seed dispersal through a range of engaging activities. The children revelled in their outdoor learning in what was a truly memorable trip.

Henrietta Platt, Head of Year 3

As a school, we have had a proud record at high jump for a number of years now, producing some good athletes along the way. One of the most fascinating disciplines in terms of both the heights jumpers reach and the different techniques they employ to reach such heights. We teach the high jump from Year 4 and it remains on the athletics circuit for children right the way through prep school. This week, Year 5 got the opportunity to hone their skills in PE ahead of next month’s sports day. They began with the scissor-jump technique before moving onto the famous Fosbury Flop, paying close attention to using the correct lead-off leg and polishing their landings. The event is such a wonderful spectacle and the immense sense of achievement is writ large on the children’s faces as they clear the bar at ever-increasing heights.

Jo Gordon, Head of PE

This term in Science, Year 6 have been looking at how the body works – specifically how the different systems work together to allow the body to function. The children have already immersed themselves in a heart dissection – where the discovery of all the different blood vessels and chambers was met with plenty of ‘oohs’, ‘aahs’ and ‘urghs’ – and this week the focus switched to the digestive system. The young scientists looked at how it worked with the circulatory system to help transport all the digested food and water around the body. Using a bucket and foodstuffs such as a banana and a tin of beans, the children added liquids representing saliva, enzymes and bile as they demonstrated the ‘gum to bum’ process. And I think it’s fair to say that Year 6 thoroughly digested everything that they learnt.

Oli Backhouse, Year 6 Science Teacher

With the summer exams just around the corner, Year 7 this week took the opportunity to refresh their memories of drawing straight line graphs. After identifying the equations of simple lines, the children plotted lines from a table of values, a typical type of question they will encounter at Key Stage 4. Given the group’s ability, I was able to stretch them further by looking at the gradient of a line and how we can find the equation of a line from either a graph or two points. The class are fresh off the back of completing the UKMT Maths challenge with the results due to be published after half term. I wish them all an enjoyable half-term break and look forward to seeing the culmination of their efforts in the upcoming exams.

Danny Parkinson, Year 7 Maths Teacher

Year 8 have been inspired by the work of leading Black, Asian, Minority and Ethnic artists this week as they considered their next pieces of artwork. Considering work by the likes of Sonya Boyce, Kara Walker, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Chris Ofili and Winston Branch, the children had the opportunity to work in any medium of their choice including acrylic paint, watercolour, clay and mixed media. Meanwhile, the scholars among Year 8, inspired by their recent cultural trip to Italy, returned to the art room after completing their academic studies and immediately set to work on their ‘identity’ projects involving a digital media image transfer. Needless to say, between these projects and supporting Mrs Baird in set and prop making for their forthcoming end-of-year production, the art studio has been a hub of productivity for Year 8.

Olga Houghton, Head of Art

The excitement of any school trip is not just visible on the day of the visit but is even evident in the planning stages, such as children discussing the healthy options and environmentally-friendly packaging when it came to their packed lunches. So, it was for Reception who took an exciting trip to the Look Out Discovery Centre in Bracknell as part of their Summer Term topic, Magical Mayhem. Visiting the interactive science centre enabled the children to explore different areas of the curriculum through an exciting hands-on approach. Creativity was encouraged in the ‘Light and Colour’ zone, with the children trying out different moves in the coloured beams and drawing light pictures on the shadow box, while resilient learning muscles were stretched when working collaboratively to build a dam in the indoor stream. Although the children ended up a little wet during their endeavours, shrieks of delight were heard when they achieved their goal of spinning the water wheel. In the insect enclosure, while some children were initially hesitant about coming face to face with spiders, bugs and numerous other creepy crawlies, the children were all impressed by the efficiency of the working ants and the size of an African land snail. For some a trip up the high tower tests their fear of heights, but persevering and being courageous was rewarded with a spectacular view from the top. The end result of all of this was that the group of eager young visitors were reluctant to leave after such a action-packed, intriguing and fun day.

Georgie Hunter, Head of Reception

Year 1 have fully embraced the beautiful warm sunshine that has finally arrived this week. As part of their outdoor learning, the children worked in pairs to identify different varieties of trees which can be found around our lovely school grounds. They collaborated beautifully to determine what the various trees were, which involved some careful inspection of their leaves, including colour, feel and shape. Year 1 also had to consider whether the trees were deciduous or evergreen – in other words whether or not they lost their leaves in winter – and what properties would be needed for an evergreen tree to withstand cold winters. After identifying a good many varieties of tree, the children decided that their favourite was the horse chestnut which could be found close to Forest School and had leaves which resembled big fingers on a human hand. While at Forest School, Year 1 had the opportunity to get creative as they made leaf tiles, carefully identifying and printing their favourite leave onto clay. What a great week for our inquisitive children!

Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher

This week, Year 2 attended a private viewing of the Highfield and Brookham Art Exhibition. The enthusiastic children were greeted with gleaming smiles from the parent community, who have been working tirelessly in the Theatre to set up the most astonishing gallery. The wonderful gathering of art objects, prints and paintings unlocked a dozen questions of ‘why?’, ‘how? and ‘what made them do this?’ The inquisitive pupils were exposed to a variety of works, involving a range of different themes, specific eras, defined media, and geographical regions. One of the many highlights was seeing amazing work that had been produced by former Highfield and Brookham pupils, while Year 2 were also in awe of work produced by current children at school. Another was the discovery that artist Hannah Watchorn had produced a wonderful print of the school grounds which would be sold via a sealed bid. In light of the wonderful exhibition preview, Year 2 eagerly discussed how they could become famous artists and follow in the footsteps of the producers of such amazing work. It led to an intriguing conversation about how the children could pool their pocket money to buy these wonderful pieces of artwork, taking it in turns to have the pieces in their bedrooms and playrooms.

Charlie Millsom, Head of Year 2

The annual Year 3 swimming gala is always such an exciting event – and this year was no exception! It’s lovely to see the children sitting ready on their towels, wearing their house colours and raring to go. Then there’s the hush of anticipation from the parents as the first swimmers line up and take their marks. Before we know it the gala is under way and the children are darting through the water impossibly quickly, one row of children after the other. It seems the best is always kept to last and the parents’ favourite event, the house relay, is on centre stage. As the children get into their houses and prepare for the fastest lengths of their lives, the noise begins to build and then the whistle goes. The pool erupts with the noise of parents and children getting behind their teams and the children support one another to make it to the other end of the pool. Everyone took part, everyone finished, and everyone was brilliant. But only Ash could this year claim house bragging rights.

Stephanie Turner, Year 3 Class Teacher

As the sun shone on Tuesday, 5SB took the opportunity to take their Drama lesson outside – and what better theme to explore than the elements? This term, Year 5 are looking at the four elements of fire, wind, earth and water in a variety of ways. They have been exploring how these elements could be interpreted as character traits (for example, fire could represent an angry person and water could be perceived as someone who often changes their thoughts or direction). The children have also considered natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, some of which have occurred in their lifetime, considering how they can recreate such events in the form of physical theatre scenes, create soundscapes, and re-enact these scenes in a news report scenario. As the sun shone and the wind blew, 5SB used their bodies and their voices creatively and energetically in all their practical tasks. I’m now really looking forward to seeing the end result of their dramatic efforts when they bring their news reports to life next week.

Sarah Baird, Head of Drama

This week, Year 6 began the process of designing a new logo or graphic. With the computer-aided design project all about branding and understanding what is required to produce a successful logo, the children took to the ICT suite to draw up some designs which will ultimately be cut using a CAMM vinyl cutter. Throughout the term, Year 6 will develop their illustration techniques by exploring composition and layout as well as building on their CAD subject knowledge.

Jamie Dew, Head of Design Technology

In the English department, we feel privileged to have the opportunity to introduce the children to a wide and wonderful range of literature throughout their years with us. This term, our Year 7 cohort have risen to the challenge of reading George Orwell classic Animal Farm. We like to use our set texts as a springboard for class work, which could take the form of such things as comprehension, creative writing, language analysis, or writing for a practical purpose. Orwell’s allegorical novel is full of interesting themes for the children to explore and many of them in Year 7 are enjoying unpicking the deeper, more complex meanings within the story as well as producing a range of creative responses to the book.

Lucy Hendry, Year 7 English Teacher

Your memory works in weird and wonderful ways. Ever been in a car when a song comes on the radio that you haven’t heard in years and yet you remember every word? Do certain smells return you to a definitive place and time in an instant? This week, we spiced up History revision for Year 8 and encouraged them to write new lyrics for the song YMCA – this time with useful historical information inserted into the verse and chorus to jog the pupils’ memory on the day of their Common Entrance exams. Rather than YMCA, the pupils created a new title of ‘UVNR’ to help them remember how to test sources for reliability and usefulness. This is a crucial skill in History as it asks the pupils to decipher evidence from the past. Is the author trustworthy? Should we believe what they say? Is the content of the source useful or are there important gaps to be filled? In an ever-changing world, pupils are bombarded with ‘fake news’, deliberately skewed information with the intention of swaying opinion, sometimes for good, sometimes not. It is essential that we prepare our young people to challenge what they read, test it for validity, and disregard if misleading. Hopefully, Tuesday’s lesson will not only better prepare pupils for their Common Entrance exams but also move them closer to being more rounded citizens.

James Ridge, Head of History

After spending the year attending weekly swimming lessons, Reception have become confident and energetic swimmers. This week they had the chance to showcase everything they have learnt to proud parents on poolside who witnessed a display of fantastic swimming. Excited chatter filled poolside as the children got ready for their first front crawl race. Swimming in small groups, the determined children jumped in ready to tackle a width of the pool as their parents and friends cheered them on. Backstroke followed as the children showed off their newly-acquired skills before they got the chance to have some fun, laughing and smiling as they raced across the pool with a ball before shooting into a goal. The children clearly are a sporty bunch as many goals were scored, much to the delight of the watching parents. The final challenge was the trickiest – diving underwater for an object. But our brave and resilient children showed just how grown up they are as they submerged themselves under the water to reach down and grab the colourful object. What a tremendous achievement for some of those children who at the beginning of the year were afraid even to put their faces in the water. We are so lucky to have such a positive bunch of children who take everything in their stride.

Hannah Feery, Reception Class Teacher

Excited Year 1 were this week treated to a fascinating trip to Chithurst Monastery. The children were met by a monk dressed in special robes who showed them inside their amazing monastery. The children respectfully took off their shoes and sat in an ornate room where they were told many interesting things about the Buddhist religion before asking lots of intelligent questions of their own. From there, Year 1 made their way to the meditation hall where the children sat on individual mats to gain an understanding of how the monks meditate in silence before collecting their lunch. The monks demonstrated how they chant and show gratitude before they eat. The enthralled children then left the monks to eat in peace while heading off to have their own lunch. Fully satiated but hungry to learn more of the monastic way of life, Year 1 were given a guided tour of the beautiful grounds which were adorned with many statues of Buddha. The children found the experience incredibly enlightening and had a wonderful time as they learnt so much about Buddhism.

Rachael Berry, Year 1 Class Teacher

Year 2 this week continued their fascinating exploration of different spiritual and cultural ideals. The coronation of King Charles III offered the perfect opportunity for the children to reflect upon an ancient Christian ceremony, which our monarch chose to adapt to reflect modern-day Britain. The children learnt that while The Archbishop of Canterbury crowned King Charles III, different faith leaders participated in the service and greeted the king, making the ceremony more inclusive and more representative of British society today. Our children loved learning about the coronation and enthusiastically shared how they celebrated this momentous occasion with their peers, through their writing and drawings. Year 2 also marked the occasion by performing the poignant song ‘Sing For The King’ during a wonderful music concert on Wednesday morning, singing their hearts out in front of appreciative parents. And if that wasn’t enough culture for one week, our intrepid ‘Round the World’ explorers were treated to a conducted tour of Russia by one of our wonderful pupils. It was a sheer delight as he guided us through an assortment of interesting cultural and geographical maps to impart an amazing array of awesome, fun facts.

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

Ushering in the new cricket season, enthusiastic Year 3 welcomed our friends from Edgeborough School on Thursday. In readiness for their first fixture of the season, the children have been outside come rain or shine honing their batting, bowling and fielding skills while fostering the key elements of collaboration and teamwork. Their undoubted resilience and ability was there for all to see in their stellar performances. Away from the cricket pitches, Year 3 have demonstrated bags of reflectiveness and resourcefulness during their Maths lessons. Building on their mathematical learning at Forest School last week, when the children used scales and familiarised themselves with key language relating to measuring mass, Year 3 had to work together and think together to solve mass-related problems, something they did with great alacrity. In Literacy, the children underlined their powers of reflectiveness by editing and improving previous written works involving adverbial phrases. And continuing to show their interest in becoming better learners, Year 3 have begun to create a sequel to the popular ‘Flotsam’ story.

Robert Grech, Year 3 Class Teacher

This term, Year 5 are ‘en vacances’ in French, and this week’s lesson was spent consolidating the children’s knowledge of transport vocabulary. They began by revising how to say ‘by’ in French, for example en voiture (by car) or à vélo (by bike). This was then followed by a listening activity and a fun game of battleships followed by the very popular game of the ‘secret signaller’. Language games are such a useful tool for reinforcing vocabulary and grammar learning, making it fun and accessible and allowing all children to get involved. Next week, Year 5 will expand on this subject by learning how to talk about different holiday activities. Vive les vacances!

Melanie Barnett, Year 5 French Teacher

In Year 6, Music lessons concentrate on performing, composing, listening and appraising. Following a composition focus last term, Year 6 are now working on ensemble performance. Everyone has a role in the class band whether they are one of the 70% in the year group having instrumental lessons or not. This week, the children worked on Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, made famous by the Rocky III film, learning the iconic opening riff, chords, melody and bass line for the verse and chorus. Instruments ranged from piano, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, guitar, drums, flute, recorder and xylophone. Each class performed the song with a great sense of timing due to the drumming skills of Jaime B, Freddie H, Jack H and Harry M. As with all ensemble playing, the musical skills of listening, staying in time and following a structure were the key focus. Beyond that, the transferable skills of self-discipline, communication and collaboration were stretched and strengthened.

Jess Harman, Year 6 Music Teacher

Year 7 have spent some time looking at the gory world of gladiators. As well as continuing language work – “pollicem vertit” – third declension accusative describing the turn of the Emperor’s thumb, “esuriebant” – imperfect, they (the lions) were hungry – pupils have been doing some research on this most morally questionable form of entertainment. Asked to create a poster advertising games presented by Emperor Claudius, Year 7 have looked at the different types of gladiators, the variety of matches, and the element of propaganda that saw these free events being used to satisfy the hungry masses. Thus far, we have stopped short of actually enacting some of the famous fights immortalised in history, but who knows how things might develop next week…

Alex Walker, Head of Classics

As our Year 8 contingent go through their final term with us before heading off to senior school, attention in PSHE has turned to managing change. They are all facing a change and transition in one way or another and we have been spending lesson time considering strategies to help manage this and make life as easy as possible. It has allowed the children time to think of the things they are looking forward to but also consider which bits may feel more daunting. Sometimes simply discussing this as a group, dispelling myths and realising that everyone has the same worries can be reassuring. Tasks have included looking at given situations and considering what advice they would give a friend and writing a letter to ‘Year 4 me’. This latter exercise is a time for self-reflection with the aim of helping the pupils to see all that they have achieved but also reminding them that they have been through change and ups and downs before. By thinking about what has helped in the past and the recognition that they have come out on top before, the children are able to grow and build on that essential survival skill of resilience.

Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PSHE

There was a huge amount of anticipation and excitement in Reception this week surrounding the upcoming coronation of King Charles. The children began the week by writing a letter to the new monarch, asking many important questions about the ceremony, not least ‘will there be cake?’ and ‘what colour balloons does King Charles like?’ The young learners used their phonics knowledge, sound mats and ‘Fred fingers’ – a technique using hands which helps children with spelling – to write independently before reflecting on their work and editing and improving as they went along. Keen to stretch their relating learning muscles, and appropriate for the coronation, the children then shared their own thoughtful ideas of what they believe makes the best party. This interest continued during child-initiated learning time when many children chose to use a range of media, including paint, collage and natural resources, to create crowns, bunting and flags. Today the Reception children wore their handmade crowns as they stood shoulder to shoulder with their prep school peers to create a huge Union Jack on Chapel Field for an aerial picture which is sure to provide a fantastic memory for years to come.

Rosie Snagge, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 immersed themselves in the tricky task of ‘marvellous multiplication’ this week – and they were up to the challenge. The children made the link to repeated addition, understood the difference between equal and not-equal groups, and learnt how to skip count accurately in twos, fives and tens. Using manipulatives from our environment and pictorial representations, Year 1 also found the total of multiple equal groups. Building natural arrays have been a powerful way of developing their multiplicative reasoning. Our busy bug hunters found multiple beetles at Forest School and by doubling and repeated addition they were able to carefully calculate how many legs were in the bug pot. The week came to a close with a brilliant creative crown-making session, a house crown parade, and the creation of an epic human flag on Chapel Field.

Kerri Wilkes, Head of Year 1

Inquisitive Year 2 headed up to Forest School to observe how a little bit of sunshine and a lot of rain can have a huge impact on the woodland floor. Especially now, after the school’s treasured woodland has gone through some intensive tree felling to reduce the canopy and allow more growth from the ground up. The changes were dramatic as the scars from the heavy machinery used in the clearance are now becoming hidden beneath the bursting green floor. The children also linked the woodland work to their science lessons by predicting how seed dispersal will take place for our legendary bluebell meadow. The woodland session began with a safety refresher for using a sheath knife. Having recalled the key information to stay safe from a previous visit, the resourceful children had the opportunity to help turn chestnut into durable mallets. And there was real focus and determination, as well as resilience, to achieve the desired outcome. Furthermore, Year 2 worked together to use skills picked up during last week’s Roman workshop to weave a robust fence. The perseverance and collaboration this week really was outstanding and the teachers were delighted to see the children exceed their expectations.

Charlie Millsom, Head of Year 2

Following last week’s character-building residential trip to Lodge Hill, Year 3 turned their attentions to the coronation of a new monarch. Working together effectively just like they did in West Sussex, the children faced a variety of challenges with purpose and a real spring in their step. Among the tasks designed to usher in the reign of King Charles III were creating collages, making crowns and designing their very own coins. The children also learned all about the coronation process and a few interesting facts about the new king himself before heading out to Chapel Field to create a human Union Flag. In between the coronation preparations, Year 3 threw themselves into the start of rehearsals for their end-of-year play while relishing another wonderful visit to Forest School for some more much-loved outdoor learning. Working on their new Summer Term topic of ‘Mass’, the children were tasked with finding equivalent masses using natural resources, learning key words and phrases along the way which will help them unlock the door to their new project.

Robert Grech, Year 3 Class Teacher

This term, Year 5 are honing their creative writing, comprehension and spelling and grammar skills while reading Floella Benjamin’s autobiography, Coming To England. This inspiring true story of hope, love and determination recounts Floella’s journey from Trinidad to London, as part of the Windrush Generation in the 1950s. Baroness Benjamin’s story is both deeply personal and relevant to today’s society, as our Year 5 children learnt about her experiences of moving home and making new friends, while also exploring her powerful message that courage and determination can always overcome adversity. This week’s theme was ‘Gratitude’ and I can’t help but feel that Year 5 were humbled and were left feeling grateful for their own fortunate situations, having discovered that life was not always so rosy for others growing up just a few decades ago. As Baroness Benjamin takes part in the coronation of King Charles III this weekend, I hope that Year 5 will watch her with pride and admiration for the journey that this lady has been on.

Sarah Baird, Year 5 English Teacher

Highfield’s U11B boys’ cricketers were edged out in a thriller by our visitors from Farleigh on Wednesday. Playing a hard ball pairs format featuring many players on rotation between their two top teams, Highfield won the toss and elected to bowl first. Tom C and Rupert B kept things tight in the first couple of overs before Roman K and skipper Digby L teamed up to claim the first Farleigh wicket and reduce their score by five runs. Farleigh’s innings really picked up pace in the second half of the innings, finishing on 274 runs as Bryn E picked up a couple of wickets. Chasing 275 to win and knowing that wickets were costly with a five-run reduction, Highfield battled hard with decent contributions from Aurie G, Jack, Ollie G and Bryn setting up a grandstand finish. Max and Roman worked singles to good effect as Highfield were left needing eight runs off the last over, hoping for a six off a no ball to claim the win. But Aurie’s brave attempt at clearing the boundary rope fell agonisingly short as Farleigh hung on for the victory after a superb game of cricket.

Michael Chapman, U11B Boys’ Cricket Coach

A skilled team of six Year 7 engineers were driven to succeed at the VEX Robotics Challenge at Cranleigh this week, scooping silverware for their efforts. Robotics involves the design, construction, operation and use of robots and the children had only 40 minutes to learn the software, 20 minutes to build their robot and 20 minutes to design a corporate logo as they took on Aldro and hosts Cranleigh. They then had to navigate three different courses, with Highfield picking up the trophy in the ‘Driver Programming’ category. The young engineers – otherwise known as The Rolling Robots – had to program their robots to navigate around an obstacle course and move a set of coloured objects into a closed off boundary. They achieved this by having to carefully measure, plan and map out the direction of travel their hand made robots needed to take as well as designing their robot’s integrated claw. Although adept with the knowledge of design, coding and programming, Highfield had never experienced robotics before and I must commend the children for their efforts and teamwork on the day and congratulate them on their prize-winning trophy awarded for their knowledge, skill and teamwork during the drivers’ programming challenge.

It was not quite showbusiness, but in their Digital Literacy lessons the Year 8 pupils have been designing the set for their up-and-coming performance of Bugsy Malone. Using the design platform ‘SketchUp’,  the children scaled up what their final set may look like. This powerful software produces 3D designs of the how the set will look, together with audience chairs, Fat Sam’s office, and the band’s seating area. The children have been using a range of icons as well as the 3D warehouse to pull in some ready-made items. Exploring perspective and angles, as well as the measuring tool so that everything is in proportion, and not to mention honing their mouse skills, the children have garnered a lot of useful skills. Whether we have some budding architects, engineers, stage designers or some pupils who are interested in redesigning their bedroom, this software allows them to explore endless possibilities in the computer-aided design world.

Richard Dunn, Head of Digital Literacy

I have been blessed this term with the chance to teach our wonderful Reception children for a few weeks and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to trial teaching through stories. You will all have favourite books at home, I am sure, that both you and your child can recite word for word. You will also be aware that so much of the vocabulary your children know come from these wonderful stories, from classics such as Beatrix Potter or the Tiger Who Came to Tea through to the more modern delights of Julia Donaldson. My feeling as a languages teacher is, if our children learn so much of their own language this way, why not another language? As luck would have it, the pre-prep library just happened to have a copy of the Room on the Broom in Spanish – which Reception are currently reading in English. So I leapt on my broomstick and this week we started the story – reading the first few pages and practising the tagline as we searched the school for my missing hat, bow and wand. Reception eagerly tackled some of the key vocabulary and can’t wait for the next chapter.

Jo Longshaw, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Now fully settled into their final term in Year 1, these curious, inquisitive and hardworking children have had another action-packed week. In PSHE, our young learners pondered the uniqueness of families and tackled the challenging task of finding the other members of their class family without speaking; effectively promoting alternative communication through actions. It was wonderful to see the collaboration between the children and to witness them persevere. In Maths, the children have turned their attention to length and height. Forest School proved to be a stimulating and exciting classroom where the children could practice what they learnt in class, ensuring that the rulers were used accurately while comparing lengths of natural objects using mathematical language. And our new class topic ‘Why Do Bees Matter?’ continues to enthuse and engage Year 1. Having considered exactly why our buzzy little friends are so important, this creative cohort enjoyed making their own bumblebees while asking oodles of relevant and interesting questions about the furry flyers, the answers to which they are sure to discover in the coming weeks.

Rebecca Lane, Year 1 Class Teacher

Building upon the excitement of last week’s inspirational Roman Day, Year 2 hosted another exceptionally exhilarating event. They extended invites and warmly welcomed parents, grandparents and carers into school to collaborate on the challenge of building a Roman aqueduct. The Year 2 staff were overwhelmed with the enthusiastic response as everyone arrived adorned in exquisite, Roman costumes and jewellery and gave full commitment to the task. So much so that Phoebe’s grandfather was delighted to explain that the Romans actually invented cement, which they used in the construction of their buildings, bridges, reservoirs and aqueducts. The Romans also learnt that by adding pozzolanic ash (originating from the Bay of Naples, where our class text ‘Escape from Pompeii’ is set) strengthened the concrete as it prevented cracks from spreading. By contrast, our creative Year 2 designers and builders had to work with cardboard cereal boxes, kitchen and toilet roll middles, masking tape, aluminium foil and a classroom stapler! But that failed to deter our resourceful young engineers. They used their raw materials to brilliant effect and collaborated effectively to overcome problems and setbacks to produce fabulous, working aqueducts. Emperor Millsomius and Empress Jervius were suitably impressed!

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

The mood was one of sheer excitement as Year 3 this week drove up the steep hill of Lodge Hill, overlooking the picturesque Arun valley. Incorporating a mix of creative, challenging and practical skill-building experiences, Year 3 wholeheartedly embraced their first residential, surpassing themselves beyond all expectations. The fully-immersive and inspirational outdoor learning gave the children not only a wonderful opportunity for a thrilling adventure, but also time to bond and forge relationships outside the classroom. It has always been said that Year 3 return from their residential trips standing taller and it couldn’t be more true this year. They have shown themselves to be kind, courageous and the best they can be, with an awesome attitude. We are so proud of them all!

Henrietta Platt, Head of Year 3

Year 5 investigated and considered how Pablo Picasso used colour and shape to convey emotion. They felt that ‘warm’ colours on the colour wheel with a round shape signified happy and loving whereas ‘cool’ colours with angular, jagged shapes are uncomfortable emotions such as sadness. After thoughtful debate, Year 5 decided that no emotion was negative as they are all necessary depending on what the occasion calls for. For example, we need to feel fear to cross the road safely and it is appropriate to cry if a pet dies. Pupils enjoyed mixing warm and cool colours with rounded, swirly shapes or with more angular, triangular shapes to create different effects in tune with their own emotions. Oval face shapes were filled; one half with uncomfortable emotions using shape and colour and the other half with comfortable emotions, again using shape and colour. It was a fabulous lesson which focused on emotional literacy and wellbeing, art history, colour theory and composition all in one. It’s important to give our young people a language for their feelings and sometimes this is best conveyed through colour and shape.

Olga Houghton, Head of Art

A welcome break in the seemingly endless wet weather allowed Year 6 to take to the golf course as part of their busy and varied Keys programme. Golf is an incredibly social sport but also requires a lot of concentration, resilience and self-discipline in order to improve, thus proving an ideal game for Year 6. Taking full advantage of lovely fairways and greens prepared by our expert grounds team between the bouts of rain, the children practised their full repertoire of shots ahead of the new golf season. Driving, iron play, short game and putting were put to the test on our picturesque nine-hole course as the children blew away the winter golf cobwebs. With mixed abilities, there was a good deal of promise across the group and they will only get better and better in the weeks ahead.

Rob Dilworth, Year 6 Golf Coach

Chapel Field was in excellent condition as the 1^st XI girls took on Lambrook for their first game of the new cricket season. Having lost the toss and been asked to bowl first, Highfield applied themselves well with the ball. Edie W, who took two wickets, and Issy S impressed with their pace and accuracy while Ella G and Tallulah B picked up a couple of wickets apiece. Tallulah also forced a run out with a superb throw from the outfield as Lambrook ended their innings on 105 runs, complete with a fair few extras. In reply, Edie and Ella started confidently for Highfield before Edie was caught for 15. Vice-captain Issy came in at number three and stayed at the crease for the lion’s share of the innings as Highfield fell an agonising five runs short of victory. It was a great team effort for the first game of the season and we always learn from our losses and will look to bat with more confidence moving forward.

Jo Gordon, Girls’ 1^st XI Cricket Coach

With the Lambrook pitches falling victim to the wet weather, the girls’ 2^nd XI fixture was moved to the Lynchmere pitch at Highfield. Having lost the toss and been put into bat, Poppy O and Flora D opened the innings but were both bowled in the third over. The wickets brought Rosie G and Valentina R to the crease, both of whom played some nice shots and took some sharp singles before perishing playing across the line to a straight ball, a fate which also befell Alice C and Olivia P. Beanie T, Lella B and Coco B were all run out chasing quick runs as Highfield looked to build a competitive total while Annabel H shaped up well before being out leg before wicket. With the ball, Highfield’s chances of defending a moderate score was hindered by conceding 44 wides, with Valentina taking the only wicket to fall after bowling an impressive wicket maiden. There was plenty of promise in the display and some useful lessons learned to take into the next match, including moving your feet to the pitch of the ball and playing straight balls with a straight bat and consistently bowling on the stumps with ball in hand. This was a challenging game to start the season and it is important that we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and learn from the experience.

Peter Hesselmann, Girls’ 2^nd XI Cricket Coach

Winning isn’t everything at this stage of the season. Instead, finding one’s feet is key and developing skills to set solid foundations in place for the games to come. The 3^rd XI girls played with zest and zeal on Wednesday, restricting Lambrook to a modest total of 258 after their first innings. Tight bowling and some excellent fielding on the boundary meant the girls enjoyed the half-time break feeling they had accomplished their first mission. Sadly, partly due to some early season rustiness, Highfield’s batting didn’t quite match their bowling performance and too many shots went into the air and then found a Lambrook hand. Losing five runs per wicket, this resulted in 40 runs being conceded – a cavernous gap which proved too tough to overcome. Although frustrated by the final result, the girls know that with a more accomplished batting performance next week, they will certainly be in the hunt. Onwards and upwards!

James Ridge, Girls’ 3^rd XI Cricket Coach

Shona O captained the girls’ 5^th XI to a fine win over visitors Lambrook in their first game of the season. Highfield batted first and scored 71 runs for the loss of just one wicket, leaving the girls confident going into the field. And their confidence was justified as Teresa D and Charlotte L got among the wickets as Lambrook were dismissed for 64. What was even more special about the win was that Teresa was playing her first ever game of cricket, having only learned to bowl one week earlier.

Joe Tebbutt, Girls 5^th XI Cricket Coach

Year 8 began the week in a slightly different fashion after being tasked to solve a ‘crime’ committed over the weekend in the Biology lab – the ‘murder’ of Stan, the Science department’s resident skeleton! After a briefing in the theatre, Year 8 were split into groups within their sets and given five minutes to examine the crime scene, collect evidence and take pictures on their iPads for further analysis. The children then spent the remainder of the morning investigating, carrying out a variety of different experiments on the evidence collected from the scene. These included footprint analysis, flame tests to identify the white powder found in Stan’s right hand, evaporation to discover which suspects took sugar in their tea, chromatography to identify which pen belonged to the murderer, and microscopy on fibres left at the crime scene. After completing each experiment, the children narrowed down the field of suspects to identify the murderer. It was a hugely enjoyable and productive morning for Year 8 and a great opportunity to revise a few topics for their forthcoming exams.

Oliver Hamilton, Head of Science

The first morning of the new Summer Term was filled with great excitement for our eager Reception children. On spotting a curious trail of slime, a yellow bow, a witch’s broomstick and a black hat, the children dashed outside to see who or what might have left such unexpected clues. After stretching their relating learning muscles through their discussions, it was agreed that perhaps it was the witch from Julia Donaldson’s popular children’s story ‘Room On The Broom’. By working together effectively, the children then made excellent suggestions about how they thought Mrs Hunter could make the broomstick fly. Sadly, counting to ten and saying the magic word ‘abracadabra’ didn’t seem to have the desired effect this time around. Undeterred, the resolute children agreed to put their thinking caps on to keep working on a fix, so the week continued with many magic rhyming spells being written and the children agreeing that further perseverance was needed to create the perfect spell. Only time will tell if the young spellmakers are able to perform things that only others can dream of!

Georgie Hunter, Head of Reception

The Year 1 children have been busy getting back into school life after the Easter holidays. And it was a veritable hive of activity in the classroom as the children welcomed a special visitor in the form of the ‘Bee Lady’ to kick off their new Summer Term topic on the popular pollinators. The children listened intently as the Bee Lady impressed us all with her extensive knowledge of our buzzy friends and then followed up with some really intelligent questions. In Science, Year 1 took their iPads outside and were tasked with taking pictures of four different categories of plants. They hunted all over our wonderful grounds and eventually found all four, agreeing that flowering plants were definitely the easiest to find! Back in the classroom, the children used their photographs to classify the plants and place them in the relevant category before producing some detailed drawings. Continuing the outdoor spring and new growth theme, the children marked Earth Day by teaming up with Year 5 prep school pupils to plant meadow wildflower seeds on the golf course, doing their bit to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies in a bid to help save the planet. And thoughtful Year 1 rounded off a busy and environmentally friendly week by collaborating on a huge Earth collage, adding details of ways in which we can all help keep the planet healthy and focusing on reduce, reuse and recycle.

Rachael Berry, Year 1 Class Teacher

Year 2 began the Summer Term by heading back in time to 43AD, when the Romans first invaded Britain. The children were overwhelmed by how much their local environment and lives had been influenced by the Romans. A former Roman solider, Terrence, dropped in to tell Year 2 about how it all began and how Boudica, the leader of the British people, who settled in what is now Norfolk, revolted against the Romans in 47AD. Boudica’s uprising was snuffed out quickly and the engaged young historians were astonished at just how superior the Romans were to the British people. As a result, the Britons of the time ended up adopting the Roman lifestyle and built warm homes, self-cleansing toilets, discovered how urine was used for brushing teeth, learnt impressive fighting skills, built aqueducts, spoke Latin, and even joined in with some classic Roman gladiator battles in front of Emperor Millsomius and Empress Jervius. Much to Terrence’s delight, Year 2 really did heed the call to ‘lend me your ears’ on this fascinating Roman odyssey.

Charlie Millsom, Head of Year 2

Under sunny blue skies, the importance of looking after our planet was even more discernible this week as Year 3 were excited to be back in our wonderful grounds for the Summer Term. Beaming from ear to ear as they joined up with pupils from Year 7, the children eagerly embarked on their Earth Day task of sowing wildflower seeds on the golf course to help encourage biodiversity. Having been revved up with ideas on how to Invest in Our Planet, Year 3 then had the pleasure of linking up with Year 4 as the children took part in a collaborative venture to create their own biome – an area classified according to the species that live in a specific location which are influenced by temperature range, soil type and the amount of available light and water. The two year groups worked together to focus on how animals and humans can live and thrive alongside each other. As part of the eco initiatives, the children also welcomed visiting BBC Writers’ Room author Kerry McIntosh, who read extracts and answered questions about her new book Rory Green, Secret Agent to The Queen. With an eco plot reinforcing the message that children hold the key to potentially reversing climate change, the author inspired and captured everyone’s imagination. Kerry also shared her experience of school life, where she found it hard to focus, and it was hugely motivating to hear how passionate she is now about writing. The children were eager to find out about the next book Kerry has planned in the series, even offering ideas as to how the plot could develop.

Henrietta Platt, Head of Year 3

Creative Year 5 have been learning all about Italian architect and furniture designer Ettore Sottsass as they explore the ‘mitre’ carpentry wood joint this term in Design Technology. Using Sottsass as an inspiration, Year 5 have been tasked with producing a tablet stand or a picture frame and began by producing two 45-degree cut pieces of paper to represent the right-angle mitre join. Sottsass was responsible for creating the ‘Memphis design’ in the 1970s, which featured striking and bold colours that upset the status quo in furniture design, and Year 5 are being encouraged to follow suit. As part of the manufacturing process, the children have been getting to grips with jig saws, mitre saws, try squares and tenon saws.

Jamie Dew, Head of Design Technology

Fresh and recharged from their Easter holidays, Year 6 were ready to test both their knowledge and their memory in a friendly yet competitive quiz on all things French. Tricky questions on geography, culture and French brands didn’t faze them at all. Their impressive knowledge even extended to Gallic sports personalities, events and the film Ratatouille. The tie-breaker question, in the case of a draw, was to guess the number of steps up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which one team guessed correctly to demonstrate phenomenal memory power having learnt that statistic last year. There is no doubt that games in any shape or form encapsulate the enthusiasm and interest for any language. They learn, remember and apply their knowledge in a very relaxed but constructive manner. Bravo, Year 6!

Helene Pidebois, Year 6 French Teacher

Year 7 are studying notation in Music this term. A series of symbols and markings that inform musicians how to perform a specific composition. As a starting point, the children were tasked with discovering who first wrote down music, how it was formulated, and different ways in which one can communicate the music. The class then formulated graphic scores to try to represent what we heard in the lesson with various students playing the piano and creating ways to pictorially illustrate the audio. Graphic scores are commonly used to allow composers to express musical ideas that cannot be described by traditional notation. It’s fair to say that the Year 7 musicians really did grasp the concept particularly well.

John Mühlemann, Director of Music

The start of the Summer Term is very busy for children taking academic scholarship exams, so in our 8A English lesson we have dived straight into some classic literature. For their first lesson back, the children looked at William Wordsworth’s poem On Westminster Bridge and compared it to the opening description of London in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House. The pupils identified the sonnet form, recognising that it tends to be used to express the heights of emotion and that, for Wordsworth, London is the pinnacle of both Man and God’s achievements. Dickens’ dense prose, on the other hand, submerges the reader into the miserable mud, fog and sooty atmosphere of Victorian London. Year 8 began the process of detailed textual analysis, identifying the literary techniques used to create mood and setting, and selecting relevant evidence. When they come to complete an essay evaluating, comparing and contrasting the two passages, they will use the pattern of point, evidence and explanation in order to structure their work. It’s always interesting to follow an unexpected path during a lesson and Brodie noticed the coincidence of William Wordsworth’s name, so we learnt about the hypothesis of nominative determinism, which suggests that people tend to gravitate toward areas of work that fit their names.

Katy Warner, Head of English

With Monday being the first day of spring and the Easter holidays on our minds, the Reception children used Forest School as a chance to look out for signs of the change in the seasons. Inspired by their woodland exploration, the creative children got busy penning spring poems back in the classroom. Looking at non-fiction texts and relevant images, the children thought about what they could feel, hear and see during spring, and it proved to be an excellent opportunity for us to discuss buzzy bees, more sunshine, lots of animals, and a time of new growth. The children used their amazing writing skills to sound out some tricky words to help them produce excellence poetry. Reception were unanimous in deciding that their favourite parts of spring were the Easter eggs and delicious treats, so with that in mind we decided to make our own delicious (and healthy) Easter biscuits. We mixed, measured and baked while chatting about exciting holiday plans and what we had learnt about spring. In class, the children talked about the Easter story and what Easter means to different people, as well as looking at where the tradition of Easter eggs came from and how they symbolise new life. The children were so fascinated to learn that the traditions we celebrate have so much meaning behind them. Wishing all of our wonderful Reception children a happy and healthy holiday.

Hannah Feery, Reception Class Teacher

Year 1 have been thinking ahead this week, busy discussing our new Summer Term topic and asking the searching question ‘why do bees matter?’. The children put their thinking caps on and came up with a number of excellent questions that we would like to find the answers to next term. Year 1 have also been celebrating Easter this week and sequencing the Easter story, putting the key events into the correct order. During child-initiated learning time, in the ‘shared area’ as the children call it, Year 1 have had fun cooking, experimenting with magical magnets and exploring and consolidating their learning through activities of their own choice. At Forest School, the industrious children have been busy preparing kindling ahead of learning how to make our own small fires next term. Have a wonderful Easter break, Year 1.

Kerri Wilkes, Head of Year 1

If you went down to the woods on Tuesday, you were sure to have had a big surprise. For you would have found reflective bears, resourceful bears, relating bears and resilient bears aplenty in the form of industrious, curious and creative Year 2 children. This half term, the children have been busy colonising their new Forest School territory to create a space of their own. It was evident that they were engaging all of their learning muscles. Reflecting upon their existing den, they dismantled it, sure and determined that they could build a far superior model. The children also used their relating muscles to collaborate effectively, contemplating and deciding together exactly where to best position different lengths of branches. To witness the children working together in the woods, strengthening friendships and bonds across the year group, is always a delight to behold. In other areas, pupils were resilient while learning the technique of successfully using a palm drill for the first time to pierce holes in sawn, cylindrical pieces of chestnut. It was hard work, but no-one gave up. And the resourceful children enjoyed creating unique items, finding charcoal from an old campfire to decorate and personalise their creations. From chatting, playing, whittling and exploring to investigating, creating and navigating a newly-designed ropes assault course, the children and adults love the plethora of outdoor learning experiences available at Highfield and Brookham, and we are all looking forward to embracing many more opportunities in the Summer Term.

Shirley Jervis, Year 2 Class Teacher

Learning about Islam, Year 3 were struck with awe and wonder this week when they visited the first purpose-built mosque in the UK. Having recently undergone a full renovation project to restore it to its former glory, the Grade I listed Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking captivated the children’s interest and attention from the off. Mesmerised by its ornate features, Year 3 gained a real sense of its promotion of peace, understanding and harmony after spending time in the gardens, prayer room and main mosque. During the tour, the children discovered key features, artefacts and symbols of Islam through an exciting quiz. Our guide, Mohammad, engaged the children as he explained the five pillars which uphold the Muslim faith. They were introduced to the Qur’an and told how it is a special book for Muslims written in Arabic from right to left. After visiting a synagogue in Year 2 and with their understanding of Christian places of worship, Year 3 were able to make some interesting comparisons. Through their curiosity, the children demonstrated their resourcefulness by making links and asking myriad thoughtful questions. As a result, they are beginning to gain an understanding of the different religious beliefs and ideologies in this country and around the world.

Henrietta Platt, Head of Year 3

The final Maths lesson of the term gave Year 5 the chance to flex their mathematical muscles to solve the mystery of the Easter Bunny’s ruined costume. The children all rose magnificently to the challenge of solving problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions – leaving them plenty of time to discover the identity of the culprit who had destroyed the costume. There was a healthy, competitive attitude in class and Year 5 raced against each other in pairs to be the first to complete their tricky challenges. There was a great sense of accomplishment when they finally earmarked Doris Clubb as the naughty costume wrecker, proving along the way just how much fun Maths can be!

Ed Elgood, Year 5 Maths Teacher

In Art, Year 6 are currently learning all about Ancient Greek pottery. The children have looked closely at the names, shapes and uses of the aged vases, as well as how they are decorated with motifs and patterns. They have made a wonderful start drawing these vases; some of which are beautifully detailed! Year 6 have also been working hard on the Brainwash-style canvases, which will be displayed in the forthcoming Highfield and Brookham Art Exhibition in aid of Highfield Centenary Bursary Fund. Brainwash is the name used by French-born artist Thierry Guetta, whose work is a mash-up of styles that he calls ‘Street Pop’. He manipulates appropriated images with screen prints and stencils to create work that is heavily influenced by street and graffiti art.

Tamsin Pearson, Year 6 Art Teacher

Following a fantastic second half of the Spring Term, highlighted by the production of The Tempest and the trip to the Science Museum, Year 7 have been completing this term’s Geography topic on tectonics. Throughout the term, the group have been discovering what happens beneath our feet and the effect that tectonic activity has on the present and will have on the future. Much of what we have covered has been linked to events that have occurred recently, including the tragic Kahramanmaraş Earthquake which badly affected Turkey and Syria. Year 7’s attention has also been focused on ways in which the impacts of natural disasters could be lessened. As a result, they created action plans surrounding how the school could best prepare for an earthquake. They considered plans for the entire school, including how they would be implemented throughout the day. Whether in the classroom, boarding house or on the sports field, procedures were created and shared through instructional videos. It was great to see the children put their knowledge and understanding to the test, and I enjoyed seeing their creativity. While it’s highly unlikely Highfield and Brookham will ever be hit by an earthquake, it is good to know that, thanks to Year 7, we are all in safe hands.

James Figgis, Head of Geography

As an interactive end to their topic on diversity, 8B took part in a practical competition to help get to grips with the difference between equality and equity within a successfully diverse society. Each group was tasked with working collaboratively to create a new and diverse spoon character for judging. The resulting spoons were named Prudance, Jemal, Dimitrias and Gary, and the competition was tough! Once the spoon characters were created they were judged standing behind a wall. But there was a problem. The shorter spoons simply couldn’t be seen over the top of the wall and there were cries of frustration from the Year 8 creators. To level the playing field a small amount, each group was given a single Duplo block to stand their character on. It helped a little, but the taller spoons still held an advantage. After much discussion, it was concluded that the only fair way forward was to allow each team to have a number of Duplo blocks which would corresponded with their height, so the shorter spoon characters would have more blocks than the taller ones. Finally, there was parity and Dimitrias was crowned Spoon King. This was a truly exciting and engaging lesson which saw the children really grasp the reality of discrimination and equity in society.

Zoe Thesiger-Pratt, Head of PSHE