1. When I Grow Up! See page 9 2. Celebrating St Edward’s Day See page 5 3. Carols by Candlelight See page 6 4. Jubilee Celebrations See page 8 5. Sports Days 2022 See page 12 Term Times 2021/2022 what’s INSIDE 21 3 4 5
2 Term Times 2021/22
Over the course of the academic year, the Prep School has enhanced its academic provision in to order to support pupils with the 11+ exam. A dedicated, tailored programme is in place that runs from Year 1 to Year 5 in order to give pupils the best chance to flourish on their chosen academic journey.
Preparing for 11+ Success
As part of the deal, Alpha have pledged to invest £3m in improving the facilities at the Prep and Senior School sites.
St Edward’s reputation and results has been growing over the past few years.
The enhanced facilities and influence of Alpha’s expertise will add to St Edward’s educational capital and only accelerate its upward trajectory.
St InvestmentSecuresEdward’s£3m
As part of this programme, Mrs Kirby held an 11+ booster session over the Easter holidays where pupils took part in a ‘Whizz Card’ tournament, practising their vocabulary collaboratively for the verbal reasoning part of the test. Our pupils were delighted to be able to take part in a fun, interactive session which aimed to encourage their Verbal Reasoning techniques as well as enhance their skills in collaboration as they worked in teams. In addition, at the start of the Summer Term, Year 5 pupils were given the opportunity to sit a ‘mock’ 11+ test with lots of guidance and support from the teacher. The teacher was able to reassure the children and make them more aware of test
Additional sessions are now offered to Year 5 pupils to nurture their academic skills and both challenge and support them. These sessions have taken place throughout school holidays, before school and through our extra-curricular club programme.
In January we were delighted to announce that St Edward’s Cheltenham had been acquired by Alpha Schools, a leading UK Independent Schools Group.
Mr Ali Khan, founder and owner of Alpha Schools, said: “I am delighted to welcome St Edward’s to the Alpha Group. Our approach is to develop a swift understanding of the history and character of each individual school so we can provide tailored support and direction. We bring a depth of knowledge and expertise from our network of schools, which will provide the St Edward’s team with opportunities for fruitful collaboration and support. St Edward’s is a vibrant school, with a rich history, situated on two impressive sites and I am very much looking forward to working with them in the coming months.”
Thtechniques.esededicated sessions are a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to understand the 11+ concepts, allow them to study at a pace suited to them and gain a richer academic understanding.
St Edward’s is a HPL World Class School
In June, Year 5 travelled to the Isle of Wight for their four day residential trip. The weather was glorious, and the ferry ride made for a most exciting start to the trip for everyone. Their home was the Sands Hotel, right on the seafront on a stunning beach, the perfect base for exploring. The week was filled with a busy itinerary. Following their arrival they made a very important stop for icecream, a dip in the sea and ended with an evening of bowling and mini-golf. On the second day, the group visited Robin Hill Country Park where activities included a 4D Cinema and a toboggan ride. They also watched an outstanding falconry display and all thoroughly enjoyed the moment when Ollie the Peregrine Falcon, took off and performed a stoop to warn off a wild DBuzzard.aythree, meant a boat trip around the famous Alum Bay, to see the striking rock formations and famous ‘Needles’ landmarks, followed by a full afternoon on the beach. On the last morning Year 5 went on a fossil hunt walk and visited a dinosaur museum. All the pupils learned a lot, laughed a lot and made special memories that will last a lifetime.
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After an accreditation visit from the team of inspectors at High Performance Learning, St Edward’s was awarded its highest honour, of a HPL World Class Award. High Performance Learning is an educational philosophy based on the research and work of Professor Deborah Eyre, whose approach is based on the ‘passionate belief that every single child can achieve academic success and live a life full of opportunity and fulfilment regardless of their starting point’. This is all centred on the starting point that learning is a science, and following many years of research into how people think and learn, have concluded that what was always perceived as impossible is now possible: there are no restrictions on learning. Gaining this Award is recognition of the outstanding educational experience we are providing for all pupils at St Edward’s. The report itself comments, ‘St Edward’s places each individual student at the heart of its practice. The adoption of HPL is now schoolwide and the aspirations teachers have for their students is noticeably high’.
Isle of Wight Adventures
Back to the Stone Age During the Autumn Term, 3W learnt all about the earliest part of pre-history – The Stone Age. They discovered some interesting facts about the Palaeolithic period and what the earliest humans may have looked like. The class looked at some of the objects that have been discovered in caves and dated back to this time. They then had a go at creating their own mini ‘artefact’ by using a range of tools to carve some prehistoric animals into soap.
Heading off to visit a friend, the children discover news of a special and unusual baby…baby Jesus. Will he change their opinion of babies? Both shows went very well, with the children in good spirits and oozing with confidence! It was particularly special for this cohort of children to be able to take part in a live production, the likes of which they have not experienced since before the arrival of COVID-19. We were so proud of every member of the cast, and of course, our fabulous staff team, for all of their work putting the show together. Everyone Loves a Baby!
4 Term Times 2021/22
Our fabulous Pre-Prep Department and Pre-School worked very hard on a beautiful Christmas Production in the second half of the Autumn Term. Their hard work came to fruition as our eager young performers took to the stage for the first time in early December. Over two days the children delighted their watching parents as they impressed with their enthusiasm and perfectly learnt lines and lyrics. The production, ‘Everyone Loves a Baby’ was a fresh take on the traditional Nativity story. The show follows three children, who are disappointed to have gained a baby brother (too noisy and very smelly!).
Life in Victorian Times
In October, Year 6 visited the Black Country Living Museum to learn about the lives of Victorian children. The Museum, based in the West Midlands, gives visitors the opportunity to explore 300 years of history in an open-air environment.
As part of this immersive learning opportunity, the pupils took part in a ‘detective trail’, visiting lots of the themed buildings on the site, such as the Chemist, Blacksmith, Hardware stores and, of course, the Sweet Shop! As the children progressed through the trail, they spoke to a range of different ‘Victorians’ and discovered how a Victorian child would have lived, worked, and played. In June, the Prep School joined with the University of Gloucestershire to host a Profile Project multiplier event at Oxstalls campus. Prep Teachers, Mrs Dade and Mr Parkin, presented parts of the project that the school have been working on over the past 3 years to develop financial literacy tools for children of primary school age, as part of the Erasmus+ Profile Financial Project. We were delighted to be joined by children from another school in Gloucester where we worked on understanding bank accounts, building societies, investments and even pensions! The children also looked at the new iPad app where they worked on a variety of financial scenarios and questions. You can find out more at www.profileproject.eu
Going Green The UK saves 18,000 tonnes of CO2 a year by recycling. That’s the same environmental impact as taking 12 million cars off the road. But, research has shown that 55% of households are still putting recyclable items in the bin. Not-for-profit company Wrap started Recycle Week in celebration of recycling and to encourage households to recycle more of the right things, more often. Pre-Prep decided to get involved during their classes, discussing recycling with the pupils and incorporating recycled items into their activities where possible. Reception children merged their ‘letter of the day’ activities with the concept and recycled old wrapping paper to create ‘n’ shaped collages, whilst Year 1 made frogs out of old yogurt pots. The activity was very enjoyable, and the pupils were shown some excellent techniques with which to create their designs. Mrs Thomas also led a special assembly, focussing on the life of St Edward. The message was that we should follow the example set by St Edward and try to show some of his qualities in our everyday lives. The children gave examples of how they could be creative, patient, brave, peaceful, modest, close to God and care for their environment.
StCelebratingEdward’s Day In mid-October, we took the opportunity to reflect on the Patron of our School –St Edward. Every October the School marks the occasion by celebrating St Edward’s Day – a time when we come together to reflect on the values associated with St Edward and how we can follow his example in our own lives. This year, at the Prep School, children from Little Acorns right the way through to Year 6 contributed to a collaborative art installation in celebration of the day. Everyone – staff and pupils – headed to the Art Room during the course of the week and decorated a butterfly. These were then fixed to wires and displayed along the corridor alongside the Seedling with an inspiring quote –‘Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can fly’.
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6 Term Times 2021/22
Carols by Candlelight
• Year 5 used the coil technique and applied decorative design elements to create some very individualistic vases.
In the last week of the Autumn Term, pupils in Years 3-6 led us in a truly magical service, at the Candlelit Festival of Carols & Readings, held at St Mary’s Church in Charlton Kings. For the first time since 2019, the school community enjoyed the opportunity to gather in church together and celebrate the Christmas story. Through a combination of readings, interspersed with a selection of traditional carols, the congregation were taken through the story of the birth of Jesus. Year 3 played a very important role throughout the service, providing a visual representation of the Nativity tableau, complementing the readings.
• Some amazing clay fish created by Year 3, each with their own personalities! • Year 4 focussed on a botanical art project, incorporating plant motifs into the design of their clay pots.
The service began with a beautiful rendition of ‘Longing for Light’, sung in the main by the Year 6 pupils, with the congregation joining the last two verses. A selection of pupils, along with some of our parents, beautifully delivered readings, whilst others impressed with vocal or instrumental solos. It was a wonderful evening and we were very grateful to be able to continue this treasured tradition once again and extend our thanks to St Mary’s for welcoming us back to their beautiful setting. Being Creative We encourage all our pupils to explore their creative side, and the facilities available in our dedicated Art Room, allow children of all ages to create some fantastic pieces of art. This year creations have included:
• Year 6 made and decorated clay plates in the style of Clarice Cliff, but with a twist... they used the school buildings in their designs.
Children in Years 1 and 2 spent time learning how to play the Glockenspiel in their Music lessons this year. They thoroughly enjoyed a visit from Darcy, the current Gloucestershire Young Musician of the Year. She is a phenomenal Marimba, Glockenspiel and Vibraphone player. The children were excited to show Darcy what they had been learning and keen to give answers to the questions she was asking them. They were very impressed with the scale of the professional Glockenspiel that Darcy was playing and loved learning some new techniques from her. To round off the session all of the children were encouraged to close their eyes while Darcy played a magical piece of music, transporting them to another world.
Exploring the Heart
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Year 6 pupils headed to the Science Lab in the Spring to take on the task of dissecting a pig’s heart. The activity was the final stage of their studies into the circulatory system. The pupils had been learning about the function and structure of the heart, blood vessels and lungs in their Science lessons, so it was a great opportunity to consolidate their knowledge. The children spent time examining the different tissues present and the location of the main components of the heart which help it to perform its vital role in our bodies.
The opportunity to try dissection is often not presented in schools until the start of GCSE study, however this is an annual lesson for the Year 6 children here at St Edward’s. It is a firm favourite with the pupils, with apprehension and curiosity displayed in equal measure.
Nursery Rhyme Week C hildren in Kindergarten thoroughly enjoyed World Nursery Rhyme Week in mid-November. The aim of the week was to highlight the role that nursery rhymes can play in early childhood development. They can be fantastic tools for developing language, literacy, numeracy, and social skills – they are also lots of fun! Each day of the week focused on a different rhyme: “Incy Wincy Spider”, “Sleeping Bunnies”, “Wind the Bobbin”, “Down in the Jungle” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”. Our fantastic Kindergarten Staff Team put a range of different activities together to incorporate the daily themes into each of their learning areas, with lots of craft, singing and games on offer!
Young Musicians
Jubilee Celebrations
The event was an overwhelming success which saw Year 5 play the Djembe, Year 3 perform two songs on the Ukulele, and several of our musicians play solos on the drums, piano, double bass, cello and flute! We also had the pleasure of hearing the Year 6 Choir, Boys’ Choir, Prep Choir and Year 4 perform a range of songs. Also performing were the guitar group, tutti flutti, brass and woodwind and a vocal of trio. Throughout the afternoon, the audience were left in awe at the outstanding musical talent on show, the confidence exhibited by our pupils, and the high level of enthusiasm for music-making, which was clear to see. Spring Concert at PumpPittvilleRoom The glorious sounds of our Prep musicians were heard, one Tuesday afternoon in March, at the Pittville Pump Room, as pupils from Years 3 – 6 took part in a Spring Music Concert.
On the final day of the first half of the Spring Term, we held some very special celebrations in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The festivities began with a delicious outdoor picnic prepared by our fantastic School Caterers, Holroyd Howe, who spoilt us with some very special cakes! Once everyone had eaten, it was then time to welcome our guest of honour – her Majesty herself – to join in with the fun. Following a costume parade, we all went down to the school field where we made the most of the beautiful sunshine and enjoyed a range of activities, including a bouncy castle, hook a duck, a cake sale and welly throwing. The afternoon was made even more special when we welcomed parents to school to share in the celebrations! A fantastic afternoon was had by all. 8 Term Times 2021/22
The musical is adapted from the full-length musical which was based on the book by Roald Dahl, and features a book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. Ably supported by our Year 5 pupils who made up the chorus, Year 6 delighted their audiences with 3 magnificent performances – their sheer delight in being on stage was clear for all to see! Head of Music and Drama, Mrs Dobson, said “We had such a fantastic time preparing for our production of ‘Matilda’ and I couldn’t be prouder of our young performers for their extraordinary achievement. I was delighted that the wonderful work ethic and sense of fun displayed in rehears als translated onto the stage. I am so grateful to everyone involved, especially the cast, for a truly unforgettable experience. What a cast and what a
Wperformance!”econstantly look for ways to make the most of our amazing school site. Children in Little Acorns enjoyed a wonderful autumnal walk in October, exploring the playing fields, looking for fallen leaves, followed by a ride in the ‘baby bus’ over to the far fields to look for conkers and pine cones. They managed to find some fantastic specimens, which were then taken back to Kindergarten to dry out. After 24 hours on the radiator the children set to work adding as much colour as they could to the individual scales. Activities such as this are excellent for encouraging the younger members of our school community to challenge their balance, whilst walking on uneven ground, and also develop their understanding of the world around them. Little Acorns Seek Out Big Pine Cones In June our talented Year 6 pupils staged their production of Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda The Musical JR.’ It was a wonderful experience for our pupils to perform in-person to a live audience in such a majestic and beautiful setting. Well done to our Prep pupils for staging such an entertaining concert, and displaying such wonderful levels of musicianship.
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When I Grow Up!
World Book Day 2022
The school came to life with pupils dressed magnificently from Seussical characters, Buzz Lightyear, Astronauts and Dinosaurs, with everyone looking the part and showing their talent for creativity and imagination. The day was a wonderful way to encourage our pupils to talk about their favourite books. Both Prep and Pre-Prep were focussing on the ‘Time Travelling Toby’ book series, as our very special guest for both Prep and Pre-Prep assemblies was Graham Jones, the author of ‘Time Travelling Toby and the Dinosaurs’ and ‘Apollo Moon Landing’ – which were the books used for the morning. Mr Jones led the pupils in an excellent conversation about his books, engaging them in questions and showing everyone the importance of literature! Everyone enjoyed the interactive sessions and listened intently as they immersed themselves into the exciting world of time travel. Throughout the rest of the day, and keeping on the theme of time travel, the various year groups took part in a series of fun activities including writing their own stories about where they would go if they had a time machine, designing their own time machine, anagram quizzes and book bingo to name a few! Pupils of all ages had a thoroughly wonderful time which certainly helped them to find the joy of reading! Pupils in Reception love to get hands-on with their learning and engaged in lots of activities to further their understanding of this topic. They took turns to dress as a dentist and examine the teeth of their classmates and of ‘Cecil’ the crocodile (an educational stuffed toy with a full set of human teeth!). They also played with a range of tooth-related toys, including making Mr Play Doh a set of dentures and cleaning a giant set of teeth. Cutting out foods and placing them either in the ‘good for teeth’ or ‘bad for teeth’ column on the whiteboard was a fantastic way to consolidate what they had learnt about teeth and nutrition.
10 Term Times 2021/22
World Book Day is always one of our favourite and most anticipated events in the Prep School calendar, and this year it proved to be a thrilling day for all involved!
Talking About Teeth As part of their PSHD lessons (Personal, Social and Health Development), children in Reception learnt about the importance of good oral health during the Spring Term. To help the children to understand the ways in which they should care for their teeth, they discussed healthy habits, foods which can help to build strong teeth, and the correct way to brush.
Six athletes from St Edward’s enjoyed their spot in the limelight representing the Midlands in the ISA National Athletics Championships in June. T he event took place at the Manchester Regional Arena, in the shadow of the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City. Oliver B (6T) continued his fine form in the shot putt by taking a magnificent silver with a throw of 7.56m, a personal best, while Taylor P (5R) ran strongly to take a brilliant bronze in the 150m. Taylor was the busiest of the six as he also competed in the 75m where he finished fourth and ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay with Arthur C (5R), Tom C (5B) and Josh B (5B), in which they ran well to finish a respectable 5th. William R (4MP), the youngest of the six, competed in the 600m and, after finding the pace tough from the start, battled back to finish 9th out of 14.
Prep CompetePupilsat ISA National Athletics
Swimming to Success at the ISA SwimmingNationalFinals
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At the beginning of November, 14 pupils from the Prep School travelled to Walsall Gala Baths in order to compete in the annual ISA Midlands Swimming Gala. 20 schools were involved from across the Midlands and as always, it was a very competitive gala. A number of our pupils won their individual heats, scoring crucial points for the overall standings. As a result of these excellent performances, St Edward’s were placed in an amazing first place in both the girls and boys overall team event, a fantastic achievement! At the end of November, eight of our talented young swimmers went forward to represent St Edward’s at the National Swimming Finals. With awards being presented by Peter Bakare, who competed in the 2012 Olympic Games in the men’s tournament for Volleyball, our pupils had a fantastic time during the event, achieving excellent results for themselves and the school community. Mrs Morris, Head of Girl’s PE commented, “I am extremely proud of our swimmers. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to swim in the Olympic Pool and they all rose to the occasion. Gold medals were won by Taylor P in the Year 5 Boys Backstroke and Phoebe C in the Year 6 Girls Medley Relay. A bronze medal was also won by Mimi W in the Year 4 Girls Backstroke. Rupert B, Iris H, Miller P, Denis K and Oliver B all gave of their very best in their individual and relay events, finishing just out of the medals.”
Well done to all for earning selection from the regionals – good experience for the future against some of the best in the land!
St Edward’s Preparatory School, 252 London Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Glos GL52 6NR 01242 prepschool@stedwards.co.uk388550 Sports Days 2022 Spectators returned for the 26th St Edward’s Prep Sports Day! Cool conditions and a red-hot Lewis dominated proceedings, as records tumbled on our 200m grass track. An incredible 34 records were set (some of them in new events) as Lewis emerged triumphant with both the Sports Day and Relay Cups – topping all of the three scoring areas – track, field and relays. All pupils displayed huge amounts of effort and House Spirit as they completed on behalf of their Houses. All children participated in the Long Jump beforehand, most in the Vortex Howler on the day, and those who didn’t took part in some extra field events to broaden their athletics Pre-Prepexperience!children also took part in their own Sports Day event. The day was filled with many fun races, which the children loved participating in. They showed some brilliant teamwork and kindness towards one another, celebrating each other’s success with lots of cheering for those making the Therepodium.were several fun ‘Novelty races’ as well as the all important Sprint and Relay races. A particular favourite being the Pre-School basket race, one to remember! @SportStEds_Prep@StEdsPrePrep@facebook.com/StEdwardsSchoolCheltenham/StEdwards_Prepstedwardsprepcheltenham August 2022
