The Chronicle 2019-20 by Barrow Hills School

Chronicle THE

A PICTORIAL REVIEW OF

2019-20

J O R A PA R

From the Headmaster Covid has dominated proceedings for 15 months now and although it has caused many problems for everyone to overcome, the school community still managed to achieve so much, whether via BH@Home or in the various formats we found ourselves experiencing back on site. This addition of The Chronicle, provides a wonderful record of the 2019/20 year and has whetted the appetite for the next edition! My thanks go to everyone who submitted their contributions and to the team of photographers and proofreaders. I hope that you will find it full of wonderful memories.

Mr Philip Oldroyd Head

Headmaster’s Welcome

2019-20

Recitals, competitions, performances, quizzes and memorable days Activities, competitions, memories and outstanding work, including creative writing, art and clubs Performances, year group productions and concerts, dance, ballet, LAMDA and music results Performances, competitions and achievements for girls and boys sporting activities Barrow Hills Community Committee, projects, fundraising, personal challenges and events Day trips and residentials, lectures and educational visits, competitions and theatre trips Remote learning

House News

Children’s Work

Performing Arts

Sport

Charities

Trips and Visits

BH@Home

The Library

Wellbeing

Forest School

School Council

Captains

Prize Day

House News House Music On 18th March, the annual and hotly contested House Music competition took place in the school Chapel. Each House performed both a song and hymn of their choice. The standard was very high considering time had only allowed two rehearsals! Soloists performing a variety of pieces, which included singing, drums, electric guitar and piano, followed the group numbers. It was obvious that the result was going to be close and so it proved to be... Kean pipped McCormack by just one point to be crowned winners for 2020.

House Quiz In December, 18 brave, clever finalists took to the stage to compete in the annual House quiz which is always a hotly contested event. This year was no different! Rounds included naming flags, musicals, general knowledge, capital cities and well-known people. There were also specific rounds for the different age ranges as well as whole team questions. As usual, the children watching were as competitive as the finalists but there had to be a winner, who this year were... Murtough! Huge thanks go to Mr Middleton for preparing the questions and slides.

House News

House Sport Results Football Rugby Girls Hockey Netball Boys Hockey Girls Cross Country

Murtough McCormack Kean Kean Murtough Kean

House Poetry On Thursday 3rd October, children from

laugh out loud while others were sad and

professional way and the Year 8 Heads of

Years 3 -8 celebrated National Poetry day

melancholy and some even frightening!

Houses, James, Alexander and Nicholas for

by taking part in the House Poetry Final Day. Over the preceding few weeks, they all wrote a poem in their English lessons on the theme of ‘Truth’. Their teachers then

While Mr Oldroyd deliberated, some of the members of Drama Club performed Roald Dahl’s comic poem ‘Goldilocks and

reading the poems of the Year 6 finalists as Year 6 were out on a school trip to Wisley. Boys, you did a fantastic job!

the Three Bears’ and everyone enjoyed

Mrs Mason

their funny version!

Year 3 finalists

This was a very hard job as all the poems

Mr Oldroyd praised all the finalists, then

Eliza, Emilia, Autumn

were so creative.

announced the winner from each year

Year 4 finalists

group: Year 3 Eliza, Year 4 Charlie T, Year

Charlie T, Amelie, Daisy-Skye

had the very difficult task of selecting a finalist from each House and year group.

The Year 8 Drama Captains, Fraser (8G), Ben (8G) and Oscar (8G), compèred the event, introducing guest judge, Mr Oldroyd,

5 Sam, Year 6 Erin, Year 7 Taylor, Year 8 Rupert... and then the overall winner Kean!

Year 5 finalists Molly, Sam, Chloe

and then introducing each poet. The

Thanks to all the English teachers and

poems were displayed on a big screen so

Mrs Goedkoop for helping their classes

the audience could read them as well as

write such wonderful poetry, Mrs Wood

listening. The finalists all read their work

for setting up all the technical equipment

loudly and clearly and with great expression

and Mr Oldroyd for being our judge.

and it was wonderful to hear such a variety

I’d also like to thank the Year 8 Drama

Year 8 finalists

of poems. Some made the audience

Captains for compèring the event in such a

Max, Isobel, Rupert

Year 6 finalists Jack, Chloe, Erin Year 7 finalists Jess, Taylor, Barnaby

‘Truth’

‘3 Truths and a Lie’

‘It’s true!’

Try to tell the truth. Rely on the truth. Use kindness, not lies. Think before you talk. Have you learnt to tell the truth?

It’s true I have seen a cute yellow duckling swimming on a lake, It’s true I had an eleven year old St Bernard, this truth is not a fake! It’s true I’ve seen a red blood moon, It’s true I’ve been to Disneyland Paris and heard a big ba boom! Which do you think is my not truth?

It’s true, it’s true, it’s true, I swear I’m telling you! It’s true I pulled off a spider’s head, It’s true I don’t like to sleep in a bed And hear the surprising part of a story, I’m the sort of person that’s into gory! It’s true I don’t like a flower with a petal, ‘Cos my music is HEAVY METAL!

Charlie, Kean

Sam, McCormack

Eliza, Kean

House News

‘The Mirror’ Everyone sees the truth even if you cover it. As she applies layers upon layers of thick foundation on top of her smooth skin. Smothers bright red eyeshadow on top of her heavy eyelids, As she tries a million times to get her eyeliner perfect, Hours contouring her face, she applies highlighter until she looks as shiny as a disco ball. She curls her eyelashes for so long that eventually they would fall out. Layers of clumpy mascara hid her eyelids, She spent hours upon hours layering makeup onto her beautiful face, until she almost looked like she was made of plastic. But even when she did this the mean names she got called , Just wouldn’t stop , No matter how hard she tried. Until one day, She looked up at herself in the dirty bathroom mirror. Until she saw a beautiful face under all that makeup, For once in her life she felt a worth in herself.

‘The Truth’ I went on social media and saw a guy called Harry. It said he had a six pack And bulging muscles.

Erin, Murtough

Then I saw a girl with an IQ of 150. She wears glasses and had a BIG head.

‘The Truth about Lies’

Then there was a man called James. It said he had a private island, and a five storey mansion Also a private jet.

The thing is I know a secret truth The secret truth about lies. Those sick sly creatures that hide in little nooks and crannies. The thing is, Lies are nasty They slither into your mouth and then at the wrong time They slither back out again. “I have twenty two brothers.” One will unwillingly say. That’s not all. They apparently have forty four sisters. Lies you say But truth doesn’t answer Except it’s a lie. “I almost forgot, I’ve got four parents too.” Now the truth is tired Lies have got the better of it But now it’s the end of the school day. The lies have slithered to teacher. “I know pi off by heart!” Time to leave Or the lies might come and get you. Rupert, Murtough

Then a girl called Sam who APPARENTLY had five DOGS, four CATS and two HORSES She also had three HAMSTERS. Last but not least is a man called Jerry. Jerry said he won a gold medal in the Olympics in every sport. He also said he was faster than Usain Bolt. Then I meet Harry. He had no six pack and no muscles. In fact he was as thin as a stick and very weak. Then I met the girl. I asked her, “What is 2 x 2?” And she said, “Five.” Also she had a small head. Then I meet James. I thought he would arrive in his private jet or a super car but I was wrong. He arrived in a Ford Fiesta and his house was a small apartment. Then I saw Sam. I went to her house and she had no pets at all. Then I met Jerry who raced me. I beat him in every sport, he was definitely not an Olympian. A bit of advice. Always be yourself. Taylor, McCormack

Book Week at Barrow Hills “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss

Over the course of the week, the children also had the chance to take part in a Literary Cluedo activity, finding clues and eliminating suspects around the school.

In March, our children enjoyed a week long programme of literary activities to celebrate the 23rd World Book Day.

Friday 8th March saw the culmination of the celebrations, as everyone was encouraged to arrive at school dressed as a character from their favourite book. There was a fantastic array of costumes from both children and staff.

Celebrations began with a very special visitor; a tiger came to tea! Mrs Mason, Head of English and Drama, read all the Pre-Prep children a story, which was followed by delicious orange tiger biscuits and craft activities in the library. On Tuesday 3rd March, we held the ever successful Usborne Book Fair in the dance studio. Children had the opportunity to purchase books for themselves or as a donation for the school libraries. During the morning of Wednesday 4th March, volunteer parents, teachers and Year 8 children took part in Reading Aloud Hour for the whole school. Carl Sagan said that, “One of the greatest gifts adults can give - to their offspring and to their society - is to read to children”, and this is certainly encouraged at Barrow Hills throughout all year groups, not just during book week! On Thursday 5th March, the school welcomed Ally Sherrick, children’s author and huge history fan. Ally delivered a number of interactive presentations and workshops about being an author and how to find inspiration for writing a story. She also conducted a number of book signings during the day for all the children who had ordered copies of her books, ‘Black Powder’ and ‘The Buried Crown’. That evening, many children returned to school for bedtime stories and hot chocolate always a winning combination!

Mrs Emmett, Librarian and Mrs Mason, coordinated the week-long programme of celebrations. Mrs Emmett commented, “There are innumerable benefits of encouraging a child’s love of books and reading. Not only does it improve cognitive development and language but also expands imagination and empathetic skills. Studies have also shown the importance of reading in lowering levels of stress and improving overall wellbeing. At Barrow Hills, our Pupil Profile encourages children to be scholarly, curious and joyful, attributes which are all supported by a passion for books, hence a week’s worth of activities rather than just one day.”

House News

Children’s Work Pre-Prep Christmas Pre-Prep had a wonderful day enjoying games and craft activities as part of their party day. Each class enjoyed a range of fun activities. Reception played - stick the nose on Rudolf, pass the parcel, Christmas salad, musical chairs, and Christmas bingo. They also managed to fit in a quick disco! Year 1 played pass the parcel, musical statues, Christmas basket, they enjoyed dancing and reading a lovely selection of Christmas stories in the library. Year 2 delighted in pin the nose, pass the parcel and sleeping lions. They also made snowflakes and enjoyed craft activities. In the afternoon, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 came together in their House groups for Christmas crown making. This was their first ever House competition. The winner was… Murtough! All the crowns were amazing and proudly worn for Christmas lunch on Wednesday. Kindy and Nursery had a wonderful time. They played pin the carrot on the snowman and they enjoyed a racing game using wind up Santas! They also had a disco with real flashing lights! The children all wore such fantastic party clothes and there was an excellent selection of Christmas jumpers.

On Wednesday, Mrs Wilson led the children on a wonderfully, wintry walk to work up an appetite before their Christmas lunch. The children were togged up against the winter chill as they strode down the drive with their teachers. The children (and maybe one or two members of staff!) found some puddles to jump in along the way. The following week was equally packed full of festive fun! On Tuesday, Pre-Prep performed their nativity to a packed house of elderly guests from the local community. Following a high-energy and thoroughly festive performance of ‘Christmas Counts’ our visitors enjoyed a delicious tea in the Refectory as the Bridewell Choir sang carols. On Thursday, Year 3 had a wonderful time singing Christmas carols at the Clockhouse. They made Christmas cards and handed them out to the elderly whilst chatting to them. It was wonderful to see the young and the ‘not so young’ all having a lovely time together. Mrs Peek and Mrs Miles were

extremely proud of their behaviour and thought they all sang like angels. On Wednesday, Kindy and Nursery visited the catering team in the refectory to decorate gingerbread biscuits for the tree. Andras and his team had made sweet smelling cookies and a stunning gingerbread house. The children were invited to ice and adorn them with chocolate buttons and sprinkles. Once dry, the biscuits hung on the tree for the whole school to admire. Thank you to Andras, Ian, Sherri, AnneMarie and Alicja for a terrific, traditional turkey roast with all the trimmings. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their Christmas lunch. Thank you too, to all the staff for providing wonderful festive and fun experiences for the children throughout the end of term.

Children’s Work

Recycling Theme Day Pre-Prep enjoyed their ‘recycling’ theme day. Children from Nursery to Year 2 visited four sessions during the day - drama, singing, collaborative art and planting. Just before pick-up, parents joined the Pre-Prep children in Chapel for a special assembly about the day. The children loved showcasing what they had been up to. Thank you to all the staff for organising such a fabulous, and environmentally friendly day! As Pre-Prep focused on ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, the Prep Department investigated sustainability in the food chain as they faced their very own ‘bushtucker trial’. Many of the children tried a variety of the insects on offer. No matter how unpalatable insects might seem, creepy crawlies such as silkworms, caterpillars, and crickets just might be a key source of protein in food and research suggests they also might be an important way to increase sustainability in the food chain.

Egg Parachute Challenge Many congratulations to all the Barrow Hills engineers who took part in the ‘Egg Parachute Challenge’. Children were curious and joyful as they bravely tested their parachutes from Mr Oldroyd’s balcony during their DT lessons. This super fun

Special mentions in Junior Prep: For his creativity in using straws to cushion the landing - Hugo (3G) For his extensive research into parachutes as well as creating a brilliant booklet -

scholarly STEAM challenge was the perfect

Max (4G)

way for the children to investigate different

For her detailed design process which

types of materials as they launched their

highlighted potential problems as well as

his very detailed plans which included the

eggs from over 14 feet above the paving.

finding the solutions - Ottilie (4G)

list of materials and the build dimensions:

They also learned how forces and velocity

For her very unique use of an umbrella

Gabriel (5G). Particularly impressive was

work in science, combining this with

and coat hangers in the construction -

Gabriel’s creativity in using popcorn in a

creative design ideas, which were then

Cleo (4R)

paper bag as the cockpit.

The winner of The Entertainer voucher, for

Special mentions in Upper Prep:

her very well constructed parachute that

For his artistic design on the parachute -

worked perfectly when tested: Xanthe

Taylor (7G)

(3R). What stood out the most about

For his very well constructed parachute -

inventions, it was extremely difficult to select

Xanthe’s project was the especially clever

Oliver (7G)

a winner from each Prep department.

pipe thermal insulation cockpit for the egg.

constructed and evaluated. The children’s enthusiasm and support for every single design was particularly impressive. A credit was awarded to every child who took part in this challenge. Due to all of the innovative

For her brilliant use of materials and very

Special mentions in Middle Prep:

well built parachute - Isobel (8G)

For her innovative use of the chocolate

For her very detailed design process -

orange box as the cockpit - Edith (5R)

Charlotte (8G)

For her very neat drawings in the

For their excellent plans and impressively

planning process - Lauren (5R)

painted finish of the cockpit - James (8G)

For his research into army parachutes and how they work - Edward (5G) For four successful drops without the egg cracking - Sophie (6G) and Erin (6R) For his research and testing of materials Jonah (6R)

and Sascha (8G) The winner of the £20 Haslemere Sports Locker Voucher, for his excellent planning and very well thought out additions such as using the pull tops of a can to hold his strings on the parachute: Alexander (8G). In addition to this, the parachute

And the winner of the sweets and £10 to

worked perfectly because of the

spend at the Haslemere Sports Locker, for

parachute design.

Children’s Work

Teddy Bears’ Picnic Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had a wonderful time on Thursday 12th March. They all brought their teddy into school and took part in a teddy bears’ picnic. It was a lovely occasion and the sun shone! Thank you to Mr Oldroyd for joining us and to the kitchen staff for the super lunch. The children and their teddies enjoyed sandwiches, pom bears and teddy bear shaped biscuits.

Reception Best Bits! Sophie I liked the trip to Wellington Country park and fishing. Margeaux I liked playing outside with Sophie. Maxx I enjoyed forest school!

Henry I have enjoyed playing in the playground with my friends, learning to write and forest school. Poppy I liked making flower pictures

Reuben I liked playing on the big screen. Eleanor I like doing art. Leopold I liked doing my writing and sentences.

Charlotte I liked building houses in the playground.

Memories of Year 1 Thomas I like Mr Clarke because he is

Arthur I love maths and English, lunch

Christian My favourite part of the year

funny. Maths is fun, football is awesome.

and snack. I love lessons with Mrs Wilson.

was playing football because I enjoy sport.

Kit My highlight of Year 1 was playing hockey because I love sport.

I love reading. I love writing. I love playing with my friends in the garden.

Alex Barrow Hills is fab! I have lovely friends, the teachers are lovely and the

James I love writing things. I love art. I

lunches are yummy! I can’t choose one

the teddy bears’ picnic because I got to

love playing on the bikes. I like having

favourite thing, there are too many!

bring my teddy into school. My teddy is

lunch outside.

called Army Bear and he is so fluffy and

Kiera I like making butterflies. I like doing

warm. The best thing about him is that

maths. I like doing outdoor classroom

he loves me and I love him too.

with my friends and making dens.

Quintus I loved learning about the

Alexa I enjoyed playing with my friends

Titanic. We were shown some life

in the garden and going on the bikes, it

Florence I loved painting my butterfly in

jackets and learnt how they work and

was great fun and I really enjoyed maths

my art lesson. I loved outdoor classroom

how important they are.

lessons. I liked painting my butterfly it

and I love Mr Clarke, he is good at

Hugo I liked outdoor classroom

was fun and I enjoy outdoor classroom

teaching but Mrs Crisell is better.

and Forest School the best and the

and the Pre-Prep playground.

Felix My favourite part of Year 1 was

Godalming Museum when we made

Albie I love going to school. I love

that Santa came to visit because I love

going out to break. I love looking

Christmas.

Hermione My highlight of Year 1 was

paper hats. Annabel My favourite part of Year

around the classroom. I love sport, it is

1 was playing netball because I love

fun. I love playing out at break. I love

shooting hoops.

going to delicious lunch.

Esme My favourite part was art because I love drawing pictures. Ophelia My favourite part of Year 1 was netball because I love sport.

Children’s Work

Year 1 Fruit Picking Year 1 had a wonderful time picking raspberries and blackberries with Mr Gaszka. The children took them home to enjoy with their families.

Year 1 Titanic Box Year 1 had a fantastic afternoon exploring the Titanic box from the Godalming Museum as part of their topic work. They loved listening to the story of Polar the Titanic Bear. They remembered a great deal of new vocabulary and really impressed Mrs Crisell with their enthusiasm.

Year 2’s Favourite Memories of Pre-Prep Mateo I liked the castle topic because I was a knight. When I

Kit My favourite time in Pre-Prep was swimming because I

had my birthday I went to air hop and in the foam pit I did a

really like it!

back flip. At Forest School I was swinging like lightening back and forth. When I started Judo I was as good as the Year 4s. Delilah In Kindy I liked learning my sounds of the week and I liked going to music and most of all I liked learning. In Reception I liked doing arts and crafts and I liked ballet. In Year 1 I liked sports day and I liked swimming. In Year 2 I liked playing with my friends and I liked going outside. I liked PE and learning. Beatrice My favourite thing in school is my friends and the lessons. I also enjoy music and games. I love my teachers! Music is so fun because we sing really fun songs. My favourite song is Songbird. I like to do sport in the garden. My favourite sport I play at school is hockey. I like hockey because I like the team effort and spirit. I liked playing in the gardens. We play really funny games. I think the woods at school are so fun to play in. Thomas B I liked school trips and swimming and PE and maths. I also like my friends and the teachers. Reception was amazing! Ellis I loved my time in Pre-Prep. I loved making King Tut’s mask and I liked my Gaudi inspired art. My favourite year was Year 2. Maxi I started in Reception and it was fantastic. I saw my friend Thomas and he was my best friend from my old school. My favourite thing was school trips as I enjoyed the lunches. I also liked PE because I had fun. I also liked swimming because I can jump off the floor and it is so fun. My last thing is break time because I can play. Edward I went to Forest School and it was amazing. I went and had marshmallows. In Reception I met George. I went up to him and we became BFFs. In half term me and George had a sleepover. We played games and had fun. Once it snowed so much we had a Friday off. I went to Portsmouth on a school trip and saw what’s left of the Mary Rose. It was brilliant. Laura My favourite thing about Pre-Prep was going into Year 1 and making even more friends with everyone. Ethan K I liked playing on the climbing frame and doing epic falls. We kept on finding out new ones and swinging on the monkey bars. Me and Mateo were on the climbing wall and scared each other and fell off on to our feet. I liked the swing in Forest School and I jumped off the swing. We made a den and then Year 1 attacked.

Thomas N My favourite topic was Egypt because of the quiz at school. My favourite teacher is Mrs Crisell. My favourite school topic was Titanic. Anthony My favourite things were doing swimming especially at the end deep end and I also I liked going to the museum and looking at the Titanic. I also went to Edward’s house and played chase and made a pillow fortress. George When I joined the school there was a shy boy called Edward. So I went over to him and had a chat. The next day I got stuck on a letter and he helped me and we became the best of friends. Eds and me had a sleep over. We got a bunch of snacks. Eds lost Ted but we found him. One Forest School I found a tree that looked like a spaceship. We hid in it and I told my friends to come. I was under attack by the Year 1s and I hid in the Year 2 base. Alec I had a taster day in Kindy. I dressed up and played in the sand pit and also played in the castle. It was so much fun. Ethan S My favourite time in Pre-Prep was swimming. I liked playing outside and I like playing on the bikes. Elliot In Kindy I had good food and we played outside. In Reception I did lots of school trips and learned lots. We played on slides and my best friends played with me. I started Club and swimming. In Year 1 I did topics like Titanic and castles and the Victorians. I did music lessons. My best time was the trip to Porchester Castle. Year 2 topics were my favourites. We learned about Egyptians and had lots of fun on the climbing frame. Rosie My favourite thing is school trips because they are so interesting and fun. My second thing is golden time because I can play with all my friends. My third favourite thing is lunch because I love the food that the lunch ladies make us.

Children’s Work

Stop Press! Dinosaur Remains Discovered at Barrow Hills School! A group of very well-known palaeontologists in Year 3 discovered the remains of dinosaurs in the grounds of the school! The dinosaurs, affectionately named ‘Bob’ and ‘Oscar’ resided for a while in the Thomas More Centre where the keen scientists worked on them. It is believed that ‘Bob’ was the remains of a plesiosaur, a long necked marine reptile that resided some 215 million to 80 million years ago. The children also beavered away manipulating recycled materials to construct further animal skeletons, namely - Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Pterodactyl and lastly, a Stegosaurus! Dr Weeks was quoted as saying “it is the find of the century and we are all very excited at the discovery. The remains will be on show from Monday 20th January”.

Year 4 Iron Men In the spring term, Year 4 children read ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes: Where had he come from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows. As well as drawing and writing instructions for how to capture an iron man, writing a menu for the iron man and a newspaper article about the arrival of a space bat angel dragon on earth, the children were given the task of creating their own iron man over half term. The teachers were very impressed with their creations and all the different D.T. skills used as well. Thank you parents for your help too!

Year 4 Persuasive Letters Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY 5th June 2020 Dear Mr Oldroyd, I’m writing to you because I think it is possible to take year 4 on a trip to the beach without spending too much school money. Also, I know you are the kindest and cleverest headmaster Barrow Hills has ever had and some one with all those qualities would surely take hard working year 4 to the beach? Moreover, it would teach us abou t structural engineering e.g. sand castles and teach us about geography e.g. the coast line. Furth ermore, it would teach us about biolo gy e.g. seaweed and rock pool creatures, and paleontolo gy e.g. fossils. Besides, when we go back to scho ol it would have raised our morale. Similarly, we would feel so happy to have been to the beach and you can feel happy because you made this happen for us and made us feel this way. To have this chance would be marv ellous, don’t you think? Wouldn’t it be lovely to go to the beach on a sunny day? It would be such a lovely memory and so muc h fun. FInally, we would like you to come along too and you could also bring Amber and Toby, it would be good exercise for them and they would enjoy the sand and the sea. In brief, year 4 would like to go to the beach, I think we have earned it and we would like you to join us. I hope you look at my letter positively and thank you for reading this. I hope that you will agree with what I have said. Yours sincerely Max HD Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY 5th June 2020 Dear Mr Oldroyd,

beach. possible year 4 trip to the so this could ing these tough times, d exceptionally well dur rke wo chance to see d has w goo a kno be you Year 4 as parents ? It could also our to d goo so ng bei maybe be a reward for r a long time apart. ead of on video chat afte each other in person inst dteacher at our that has ever been hea are the best headmaster you t e of the shops. tha som ee p agr hel ple and peo ng So many p tourism in West Witteri hel l wil ch bea the to school. Plus going bow, like jumping into a rain ee, in fact it would be agr to eat uld wo got you you if l and tfu ets It would be deligh uld be filled with swe of gold in the pot it wo d tea do? ins we k and n thin dow you sliding a reward, do k we properly deserve them all ! However I thin energy and I really need a boost of the time of my life also e hav ybe ma ld cou I Please agree as ht start me off. going to the beach mig raordinary uld be tremendous, ext The trip to the beach wo and joyous. ke this possible! letter, I hope you can ma Thank you for reading my

I hope it’s a good time

Yours sincerely Jacob

to write to you about a

Children’s Work

Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY 5th June 2020 Dear Mr Oldroyd, I hope you don’t mind me writing to you about a possible year 4 trip to the West Witterings beach. Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY 5th June 2020 Dear Mr Oldroyd,

to organsie a to you because I want I am writing this letter knows, you ne ryo your help. As eve trip to the beach, with I am sure so , had r eve ool sch the are the best headmaster me. that you will agree with some ause everyone would like It will be a good idea bec er all this Aft . wn kdo loc in s nth mo fresh air after all these chers, I seeing our friends or tea time at home, without sing PGL. mis r afte lly ecia esp , think we all deserve a trip great for our teachers so it will be In addition, we all miss l feel so wil I , this to ee in. If you agr us to see everyone aga pupils. py hap you will only have happy thanks to you and l never wil I ing eth som g, l be amazin A trip to the beach wil ay from aw , wn that after this lockdo forget. Don’t you think ? trip h a nice everyone, we deserve suc azing. ee with me, it will be am Please I hope you will agr ntion. I hope my letter and your atte Thank you for reading you. e gav I and the reasons you will agree with me

We all agree that you are the best and kindest headmaster the school has ever had and we are so glad that you have joined our school. Year 4 has been working really really hard over homeschooling and we think we deserve a trip to the beach . In addition Charlie will take some pictu res for the Friday letter. If we went I would be delighted and so happ y the beach is a lovely place to play and swim even though the water will be icy cold. If we go to the beach it will be such an incredible and spectacular time because we will play in the sand and build sand castles. Most of all we will feel refreshed and ready

for more hard learning. We have been working so hard so don’t you think we should have a break? We have not seen our school friends for a while and this will be a memorable trip. Most of all our parents need a break as

well. Thank you for reading my letter.I hope you say yes because it will be a lovely day at the beach. Yours sincerely Timotheos

Yours sincerely Ilana

Year 4 Sound Collector Poems Sports Day by Cleo (4R)

Sports Day Poem by Ottilie (4G)

The colossal crowd was cheering extremely loud, As energetic children raced around and around, And little children started to dangerously bounce and bound.

My heart was thumping As shoes were bumping! Exhilarated parents clapped, shiny medals clinked As children were lapped Shot puts thrown like a balloon being blown.

A piercing whistle started the race, Whilst other children hurriedly slurped water back at base, And feet stomped all over the vast place. A loud bang happened and it hurt my ear, It shattered glass and I could hear, A stampede of children growing near. Excited dogs barking and yapping, Other people, vigorously clapping, When will the sounds cease to happen? Sounds washed around me as I raced around the track, And not once, did I look back, At the colossal crowd cheering extremely loud, As I raced around and around and around.

Dogs barked as tracks were marked! Javelins thrown as the sound of guns had grown. Children tripped, as water bottles were sipped. Everybody did their best. It’s time for a drink, and a relaxing rest.

Birdfeeders Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed creating the tacky, lardy, seed filled concoction they moulded to make delicious concoctions for the birds!

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party On Tuesday 19th November, Year 5 celebrated the end of their Mad Hatter’s project with a tea party in the refectory. There were sandwiches, veggie sticks and cakes for all to enjoy. Everyone had great fun celebrating the amazing hats that had made been made and watched a clip of the tea party from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to get into a celebratory mood. Thank you to all the parents and siblings who attended.

Children’s Work

Year 6 Creative Writing Elves There are three types of Elves, one you probably know every well, Santa’s Elves. They are joyful creatures and have nimble hands so they easily craft Santa’s toys. The other two you might not have heard of. They used to be one of the same tribe but sadly the tribe split apart. It is my duty to tell you how this came to pass but first let me take you back 100 years ago when the tribe’s alliance was strong. The Elves lived as one in a lovely village, the village of Harrosprack, where children ran laughing and playing. The flowers would blossom, fresh grass grew over the mountains, rivers and waterfalls flowing with fresh water and lambs were trotting over fields. All was peaceful but not perfect. One day a group of farmers went into a cave, they ventured deep until something caught their eye. It was a bright light glistening through the rocky cave. They cautiously stepped towards the glow. They had to move a pile of stones out of the way but there buried underneath stood a fiery bright stone it looked as big and hot as a meteor but it shone bright blue. One of the farmers picked up the stone they all gazed at it in wonder, they were mesmerised by it. The farmers, still good of heart, took it to the Elf King who took charge over the stone and held it safe in his castle. Over time the Elves grew greedy as their thoughts kept returning to the stone, they thought they could sell it to the ogres. The greedy Elves grew strong in numbers and one night set fire to the castle and slaughtered the King. The Kings guards were not prepared for what happened and could not defeat them. The stone was taken and sold to the ogres. No one in the Kingdom was prepared for what happened that night and the Kingdom grew angry and became divided. 100 years later fresh hope spread through the forest. A wise Elf had a premonition of a newborn girl in the Kingdom of Harrosprack who would once again build an alliance of the Elf tribes. The wise Elf kept himself tucked away in a cottage on a field. He had many premonitions but this one I am pleased to tell you did in fact come true. A girl born with adventure, spirit and courage. Born with

a strong heart, the wise Elf knew this was the girl the moment she was born. He kept an eye on her as she grew up. Her name was a traditional Elf name, Illinta. Illinta loved to explore the forest. When she turned fifteen she was visited by the elderly Elf, he knew her favourite place to explore was the forest, so he slowly paced the forest until he found her hanging from a tree. The wise elf simply sat down near by a rock. Illinta watched him with great curiosity. No one besides her came to this part of the forest. It was too close to the other Kingdom. Illinta sat on the stone next to the old Elf and introduced herself. She asked him his name and he told her, Hernta. They started talking and he asked Illinta if she knew anything of the other Kingdom, the Kingdom of Randaw. Illinta knew a bit but was eager to know more. No one ever mentioned the Kingdom of Randaw so she figured she could ask him more questions about Randaw.

“Yes, yes you are right” Hernta replied quietly as if he was thinking about what he was saying. He quickly broke away from his thinking, he asked Illinta if she would be interested in helping to unite the Kingdoms. Illinta shouted “Yes Yes Yes!!”. Hernta warned her it could be dangerous but that didn’t change Illinta’s mind, Hernta gave her the books and told her to visit tomorrow. As she was leaving he said “don’t tell anyone about this, not now”, “OK” Illinta replied while sprinting down the hill jumping and spinning as she went. Hernta shut the door and sat down chuckling to himself, I knew she was the right one. Matilda (6G)

Hernta found her quite amusing and he asked her if she would like to go to his cottage for bark cake and tree sap, elvish food and drink to you and me. He also mentioned that he had books about the history of Randaw. Illinta excitedly agreed and accepted his invitation. They walked up the hill to his cottage which was very small. Vines had grown on the walls of the cottage and there was a stubby oak front door. The inside was very messy and cluttered, he had many things Illinta had never seen before. Hernta rushed off and came back with lots of books. He handed them to Illinta. She stumbled a bit as the books were very heavy. She put them down on one of the chairs and watched as Hernta went into what seemed to be the kitchen. The books were very old and quite dusty, she gently turned the leaves of the book, studying it with great satisfaction and curiosity. She learnt so much about Randaw and about the tribes splitting and of other Kingdoms like the Goblins, Ogres and the Dwarfs.

Sea Turtle Began

Hernta came back into the room. Illinta gazed at the books, gobsmacked. As soon as Hernta sat down he was hit with a wall of questions, “slow down, slow down”, Hernta chuckled. “Someone will need to unite the Kingdoms” Illinta said.

And for their shape he took the shape

Sea Turtle began He took the call of the heavens He took the munching of leaves For his voice. For his shell He took the pattern of a labyrinth The hardness of a boulder He took the beauty of a picture. From the beach He took the silence of sand He took the ripple of waves For his walk. Then at the reef Sea turtle took the colourful pieces of coral He took the blue of the ocean For his eyes. Strength and swiftness Went into his flippers of a fishing hook And Sea Turtle was made. Theodore (6R)

22 Back in Time This story begins in the museum where a

again. Her palms started to sweat. Emma

So Emma started to calm down. The

girl named Emma goes for a look around.

was doing all of this because Emma and her

guards took them as prisoners.

At the far end of the museum, Emma saw her dad in a glass box. She wondered why her dad was in a glass box. Emma started to panic a little. She wanted to wake up from this terrible dream but she couldn’t. She started to touch the glass box but she had quite a fright of what was coming next.

dad were in Ancient Egypt. After she calmed down, Emma and her dad went for a little look around but not for too long because they didn’t want to get caught because if they got caught, then they would be put to

The next morning, the guards worked them so hard they got whipped. Dad and Emma were feeling angry and in pain. Dad was thinking of how to get out of

work. The slaves that were already there got

Ancient Egypt. So when the guards went

whipped. It was a really terrible sight to see.

to bed, they both escaped and got back

But when they were getting back to

But when all the swirling and spinning

camp, there were guards starting to

stopped, she started to realise what period

follow them. Emma had started to panic

of time they were in. She started to panic

again but dad said, “Calm down it’s ok.”

to their time machine and they got back to the museum. Turns out, it was just a really terrifying dream. Emma (6R)

Time Slip Story Hi I am Lily, I am going to tell you about my grandad’s magic library. One grey and miserable day, I found out that my grandad had a library. So I shuffled in carefully in case there were any rats or mice but there weren’t any. So I decided that I was going to read about the horrible and tragic medieval times. I was going to read about the medieval time because we were learning about it at school. The library was beautiful it had antique gloss bookshelves and smelt musty and old. I found an old dusty book about the measly middle ages. I slowly sat down and perched on a rustic old stool with three wobbly legs. I carefully opened the book, I was ready to be indulged in a book. The writing inside the book was small and very curly. Suddenly there was a strong gust of wind, it made me jump because there were no windows in the library. The library was just a box room with four tall bookcases. The gust of wind got me thinking what was going to happen next. I hadn’t realised that when the wind struck the room the interesting book that I had been reading had changed pages. I looked at the detailed picture of the medieval house with the plague and suddenly I saw white then started spinning around, then bang I fell onto the ground. My back was sore, I had a horrible headache. I opened my eyes slowly, expecting to see the old library. But what I saw was very different. I was lying in an old rotting bed, looking up at a ceiling of thick oak beams. Suddenly I heard someone call my name. The voice was not my grandad’s voice but the voice of a lady very ill and croaky. Who was it? I thought. I sat bolt upright. Looked around me, I was surrounded by old clothes hanging onto a thread bare string. In the corner was a wooden chest with a rugged jug that had not even been glossed. Suddenly I saw the old lady poking her head through some dry decayed banisters. Her face was pale and covered in boils. Her clothes were covered in blood and ripped in most places. I felt sorry for the poor lady. Suddenly it clicked that I was in the Middle Ages. I ran down the old stairs that creaked as I took every step. When I finally made it out of the musty house I thought that the smell

would get better but it got ten times worse. The street was narrow and noisy. The noise was church bells and the calls of people’s sad and tired voices as they called through the streets of London trying to earn money for their family to be able to have a meal. The air was full of smoke and very unclean. As I walked past houses I saw about ten people in each room and they all had horrid symptoms of the plague which are things like vomiting and having huge boils on their face or under their armpits. When I passed one particular house I saw something horrible. It was a man in a huge suit and he had a big mask with a beak stuffed to the brim with herbs so he would not catch the plague. These people are supposedly doctors but they charge lots of money and just pop boils and make up fake treatments so they can get money. But of course no one could catch them because they did not know what they looked like. I knew I needed to get home but I did not know how. So I put myself back into the moment that I was dragged into the middle ages. After about five minutes of thinking I had it, I had to travel back to the old medieval house and find the book sit in the bed and read it. I ran back to the house but as I was running back I found it extremely hard to concentrate as everyone was looking at me because I was wearing modern clothes. But that did not stop me from getting back to the house because I knew if I wasn’t quick enough then I might catch the plague and that would be very bad because then I would bring the very unpleasant disease to 2014 which would be an absolute disaster. Also I would feel guilty if I stayed alive. When I arrived back at the house I sprinted up the stairs as fast as I could, grabbed the book and sat on the bed hoping that it would work. Suddenly I saw white just as I had done before then started to spin then landed back on the stool with the book in my hand. It was good to be back at home. The first thing I did was run out of the library and go and tell my family but none of them believed a word I said. It left me thinking, had it been a dream? Or had it actually happened? Rosie (6R)

Children’s Work

Year 7 Creative Writing The Bathroom “You can stay here but please, I beg you, don’t go to the bathroom in the room” said the man with the broken glasses. “Why not?” I asked. “It’s haunted.” Said the man with the broken glasses. I agreed then got my bags, and went up the spiral staircase. When I got up there, my room was a couple of metres away. I walked carefully thinking about what the man with the broken glasses had said. I put my hand on the rusty old door handle and walked in hesitantly. I put my bags down on the green carpet, and then I saw the door to the bathroom. I couldn’t move. I was stuck in fear. Eventually, I calmed myself down but I couldn’t stop thinking about the bathroom. So I tip toed very carefully

to the bathroom door, I put my hand on the black door handle and opened it. I walked in peering around just in case something popped out. The room didn’t look too bad, I thought to myself it was a normal bathroom. It had candles, windows and a toilet but then out of nowhere the door locked. I tried opening it but there was no point, the door was not opening. Suddenly a shadow appeared and swiped one of the candles out. I quickly ran and relit the candle with a match. Then another shadow came, this time it took out three of the five candles. My heart was beating really fast now, I got another match out of my back pocket and relit the three candles. Then the shadow sounded like it was screaming.

I waited for the shadow to come back, I got my matches ready. Then the shadow got all of the five candles, I couldn’t see a thing. I tried to light a candle but I tripped and hit my head. I woke up with the man with the broken glasses. “What happened?” I said to the man with the broken glasses. “I found you in the bathroom on the floor, I think you got knocked out.” “Thank you for getting me,” I said to the man. “I won’t go back in that haunted room again.” Cade (7G)

The Bathroom We arrived at the massive stately home. The drive full of pebbles was as long as the river Clyde and the house was the size of Cheltenham. A classy car slept lazily on a pond of pebbles and a flag with a coat of arms flew overhead. The cosmic sky towered over the house like a big shadow. As the butler welcomed us into the ancient house, I noticed a miniscule light flickering in a window above. That was quite unnerving. It was seven o’clock when the feast was laden across the table like market stalls. The fabulous feast had a selection of tender meats and there were a host of vegetables and cakes, biscuits, cheeses and a puny mint imperial resting on a grey and burgundy napkin. The stupendous collection of guests sat either side of the table and piled the food vigorously on to their plates. “Mother?” I asked “Do you know where the lavatory is?” As I said this, I mimicked Lord Humpherey who was wearing an incredible black suit. “I think it is down the corridor and up the stairs. Turn right and it is the second door on the left,” answered mother.

“Thanks!” I exclaimed as I raced out of the colossal dining hall. The corridor had a bountiful amount of porcelain statues and beautiful paintings hung on the walls. They contained vivid colours and reminded me of my sister’s artwork. I made my way up the stairs and noticed a picturesque pattern that reached the summit of the staircase. The first floor was rather barren and plain. I strolled towards the bathroom, I slowly opened the door. The creaking made me notice the eerie atmosphere of the building. I stuttered into the dark abyss of the room. A candle in a sconce flickered and provided light to help me see where I was going. I heard something scuttle in the bathtub. I was petrified. I walked on the clean albescent tiles and washed my hands. I stared into the mirror, I blinked. Stood behind me was a small, round figure. An icy, deafening silence hung in the air like sheets. I felt the fear tremble around me like the devil. I turned around to see the small figure had vanished. I continued to wash my hands and again noticed the small, round figure

closer to me and had a forlorn face. I turned around to see the small, round figure had vanished. When I turned to dry my hands, I felt a cold, elongated finger touching my neck. I abruptly dashed out of the bathroom feeling a bitter wind slap my face. I ran down the barren corridor. I continued to run from the summit of the staircase and descending to the foot of the staircase. I hardly noticed the bountiful amount of porcelain statues, or, the paintings on the wall, which contained vivid colours and reminded me of my sister’s artwork. I quickly opened the door and calmed down. I was safe. When a second child went to the bathroom, they appeared to be just as flustered as I was. An army of others (all adults) looked as bright as day after they had spent a penny. I wondered. After a period of thinking, I came to a conclusion. The biggest fear is fear itself. Barnaby (7G)

24 Hide and Seek I slumped down on a chair, knees curled up to my chest and my head held low. Magaret said this would be the most memorable party of the year because it was her grandma’s old holiday home but it really wasn’t. She had antique furniture which was covered in so much dust that you couldn’t see what colour it was. The carpets smelt of rotten potatoes and if you were standing near one for too long the potato smell would swirl around your face, making you pass out. Everyone at the party looked as unimpressed as me but I felt sorry for our party host, Magaret, so I announced a game of ‘hide and seek’ as her grans holiday house was big it would make a perfect setting for the game and make everyone else amused and more happy to be there.

following me as I belted up the rickety stairs. Every time I came to a new corridor I went round every room but there were no decent places to hide. Finally I got to what seemed like the top floor which was remarkably darker than the others. Once again, I surveyed all the rooms until I was perfectly satisfied with a room named Tuo Yats which seemed to me like quite a funny name for a room in a holiday house.

Magaret said that she would start by counting because she knew all the nooks and crannies and said that she would be able to find everyone in under ten minutes. We all ran out of the grand living room and split up. Some went to my left and some went to my right but I was the only one who went upstairs. Every so often I would look behind me to see if anyone was

As soon as I closed the wardrobe door, the lights flickered on inside the wardrobe. I was shocked. This house looked like it could collapse any second and looked like the ancient romans could have built it but yet they still had a light in an old rickety cupboard. I couldn’t pinpoint where the light was coming from but it was terribly bright compared to the darkness of the room outside.

I stepped inside the room quietly as I heard a bunch of girls reach the second floor. I looked around the room to see if I could find a good place to hide. Over to one side of the room was an old wardrobe facing the window. I opened the closet and took out a couple of bed sheets and towels and I was able to fit.

Suddenly I spotted a doll on the other side of the wardrobe. It looked like it had been in there for centuries because its once crimped hair was now tangled together almost as if it was in a ponytail. It’s eyes were missing and the doll had lost a finger. The lights went out. It took my eyes a while to adjust to the darkness and then they flickered back on again. I looked back at the doll and realised it was no longer leaning against the wall, it was sitting perfectly upright. I moved my body further away until it was backing against the wall. The dolls hollow eyes seemed to be staring right into my soul making me freeze with fear. The lights went out again but this time I felt a cold sensation trickle down my spine. The hidden bulb came on again and the doll was right in front of me, I heard my friends calling me from down stairs I screamed and ran out of the closet not daring to look back. In a rush I tripped and fell down the stairs and the rest was a blur. I woke up with my friends leaning over me. What just happened? I sat up and clutched my leg. A cold red fluid trickled down my legs. I gasped. Pheobe (7G)

Save Teddy Good Morning Year 7 and vet. Today

He seemed petrified and was curled up

I am here to try and save my beloved

in a little ball of fluff in the corner of his

dog Teddy who has fought through this

cage and we could tell he didn’t like the

horrible virus and has made it this far,

rescue centre so we adopted him and

why should you stop him now?

now, thinking back to when we saw him

Teddy was found in a burning flat in London and had passed out on the floor. Everyone thought he wouldn’t make it but Teddy is a fighter and always has been and

in that cage, he is a totally different dog. To my surprise, Teddy and our fluffy black cat Bilbo (who was also a rescue) have become best friends.

never gave up. His owners were an old

My once lively and fun puppy is going to

couple and unfortunately did not make it

die because of this tragic virus and I can’t

out alive. So Teddy was taken to a rescue

do anything to help him. He was there

centre and that was where we found him.

when my gran was sick with cancer and

there when she went through chemo. He was there when my dad was always away fighting in Afghanistan. He was there whenever I needed him so please don’t let my innocent little dog die because I couldn’t help him after all he has done to me. So listen and hear me now if you went through all of that to just end up dying from a virus that you could be saved from, what was the point? Please help. Thank you. Phoebe (7G)

Children’s Work

The History Room “Don’t go in!” Libby whispered to me. “I have no choice”, I said. “You know what Ben’s like, he won’t let anything stop me from getting the fright of my life after what happened last year.” “Let me go with you” protested Libby. “No Libby, I’ll be fine, if this is what I have to do to prove I am no coward, then this is what I will do.” Libby stopped speaking as she knew that if this argument had carried on, I would have won it anyway. There was no harm going into an abandoned history classroom. How different could it be to my classroom? “Go on then!” shouted Ben, I heard a couple of his friends make a ghost sound behind him. Without hesitating, I went straight down the corridor. Every step I took I could hear the floorboards creaking. I looked behind me to see if everyone was still there, Libby looked spectral. After I had slowly crept to the end of the corridor, I came upon a door I read the tangible, but rusty sign. I read out “history”. It was engraved into a golden looking plaque. I entered the old history room and a waft of sour cream was lifted up to my nose. Everything was brown in a variety of shades: walls, floor, desks, chairs and window frames. The carpet floor felt damp in areas close to the walls. The walls were stained a coffee colour and the ceiling had been painted in an ivory colour. The room was cold as one of the windows was

smashed and there was an area on the floor filled with sharp shards of glass. As I looked around the room I had noticed that quite a few of the desks weren’t standing at all. The wood that the chairs were made out of were rotting away, all the furniture in this was very unsafe. History was never my favourite lesson because of the wars. Talking about the war was horrible, picturing all the gunshots, wounded men, bombs, fires, families never seeing each other again, I considered myself to be very lucky and I went pallid at the thought of it all. The ripped curtains had suddenly started to move in time with the wind, they startled me so much that I had tripped and fallen over one of the rotten chairs. As I tripped over the seat I felt the chair leg snap underneath me. I quickly got back up off the broken school chair and I had tried to act as if nothing had happened. I looked towards the wall by the lockers that were also very rusty and saw a picture of some of the men that fought in World War Two. There were facts spread around the wall all about the war and my head started spinning as I looked around the whole room to see pictures of injured men, the trenches, nurses rushing in the hospital to help them. I hadn’t noticed these photos and facts on the wall, It was almost as if all of these pictures of people had just appeared. My mind was spinning even more and the chairs were doing pirouettes and my hand rubbed against

something that felt like chalk. I could hear nails scratching along blackboards. Creak... Creak... Creak... The window was howling. The pictures of the full length soldiers were standing and staring right through me. I felt a chill down my spine. I looked back towards the lockers where I had first seen the photos of the war and the lockers started to creak and open. Slowly they opened. Suddenly… SLAM! The miniature doors had slammed themselves shut. I remembered the corridor I had walked along to get to this abandoned classroom. I could hear it happening again. The floorboards. The creaking. I panicked. I ran straight into the corner of the room that had no photos. The floors were wet and the paint on the coffee table coloured stained wall smelt disgusting. The creaking on the floor boards was getting louder and louder. At this point I had curled myself into a ball and was hidden away and completely unseeable unless you looked closely. I had blocked my ears. Covered my eyes and had no sense. Then my mind was blank. I woke up in the same corner in the classroom. Libby was standing over me like a giant. She was shaking my shoulders roughly. I tried to remember everything that had been going on in my mind, yet everything was blank. I need to get out of that classroom fast. Before it all happens again. Jessica (7G)

Year 8 Creative Writing Frankenstein Writing The weather is mad, raindrops punch the glass like a swinging fist. The open sky is suffocated by gripping hands with a greying cloth that smothers and disguises the fearful victim that is the sky. Spires penetrate the eerie breath of the fog, and the voice of the wind howls in pain. As I turn back to the table, all I can say is failure. Much like the weather, my heart is greying along with my hair. Never did I know how heavy stress is. It is much like a weight that can never be dropped. A lie that can never be overridden, a problem that can never be solved... a life that can never be taken back. It twitched! I do not believe my eyes are at fault! I saw its bony fingers spread and clench into a fist. My heart is beating like a parade drum, salty sweat

lines my brow. And that’s when I see it. His dry eyelids open and with an instant, his beady eye pierces mine. We lock eyes, I do not move. I do not dare move. For I do not know what will happen next. His yellow skin stretched over those malnourished muscles and those thin bones. His greasy black hair that sprouts from scarred scalp. He sits up. Then onto his feet. A step, another, one more. He reaches up, a hand towards my face. It jerks as if the muscles are only just learning to move. It opens its mouth. To speak? What I hear is not a voice. A gargling grunt with a convulsing tongue. Saliva drips from his cracked lips as his breathing gets heavy. He lets out a loud moan followed by a sharp breath and a droning murmur.

His legs begin to shake, he falls to the ground with a yelp in pain. I pull my utensil table towards me. I lift it to my knee and drop it on the monster. It lets out a wail. I begin to feel movement come back to my legs. And within an instant, I am out of the lab, leaving everything as it was. What have I done? As I run under the bridge, the rain whips my face. My hair drips and my nose is red from the rushing wind. My breath is staggered and tears fill my eyes. I try not to scream out in terror. Paranoid, I look behind me. Again and again and again. For I do believe that thing is close behind me. With his jerking hand reaching out towards me. Its beady eye watching. Fraser (8G)

Year 8 How they’ve grown!

Sascha Oscar Oscar

James D

Tom

Charlotte

Nicholas

Children’s Work

James H

27 Tilly

Max

Rupert

Isobel

Fraser

Alex

Ben

Performing Arts Drama continues to be an exciting and vibrant subject for all children. Pre-Prep performed their wonderful ‘Christmas Counts’ in December and Year 8 delighted a packed hall with their musical ‘Honk!’. Year 4 entertained with their fantastic production of ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and Middle Prep worked very hard on a spectacular production of ‘Oliver’. Drama Club continued in the autumn and spring terms and our drama scholars attended a production of ‘Macbeth’ at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Drama has also been a big part of the BH@Home programme. Children took part in a digital talent show with a huge range of acts, complete with costumes and makeup. Others looked at performance poetry or rehearsed short sketches via Google Meet. The Year 8 drama captains created short videos to support Middle Prep in their drama programme. Mrs Mason

NAME

SUBJECT & GRADE

in Performance LAMDA Level 1 Award 2 de Gra ing Act 2) (Grade Performance in ard LAMDA Level 1 Aw Raymond 2 de Gra ing Act 2) (Grade (Year 6) ard in Communication LAMDA Entry Level Aw Eliza el se and Prose Entry Lev (Entry 3) Speaking Ver (Year 3) tion ard in Communica LAMDA Entry Level Aw Emilia and Prose Entry Level se Ver g akin Spe 3) (Entry (Year 3) in Performance LAMDA Level 1 Award Erin 1 de Gra ing Act 1) (Grade (Year 6) Performance in ard LAMDA Level 1 Aw Emma 1 de Gra ing Act 1) (Grade (Year 6) in Performance LAMDA Level 1 Award Matilda 2 de Gra ing Act 2) (Grade (Year 6) Performance in ard Aw LAMDA Level 1 Anastasia 2 de Gra ing Act 2) (Grade (Year 6) in Performance LAMDA Level 1 Award Rosie 2 de Gra ing Act 2) (Grade (Year 6) Performance in ard Aw LAMDA Level 1 Beatrix de 2 Gra ing Act 2) ade (Gr (Year 6) in Performance LAMDA Level 1 Award H s Thoma de 2 Gra ing Act 2) ade (Gr (Year 6) in Performance LAMDA Level 1 Award Jonah de 2 Gra ing Act 2) ade (Gr (Year 6) in Performance LAMDA Level 1 Award Verity de 1 Gra ing Act 1) ade (Gr (Year 6) in Performance LAMDA Level 2 Award Oscar de 4 Gra ing Act 4) ade (Gr (Year 8) in Performance LAMDA Level 2 Award Ben de 4 (Grade 4) Acting Gra (Year 8) in Performance ard Aw 2 LAMDA Level Charlotte de 4 (Grade 4) Acting Gra (Year 8)

Conrad (Year 6)

GRADE Duo Merit Duo Merit Distinction Distinction Duo Merit Duo Merit Duo Distinction Duo Merit Duo Merit Duo Distinction Duo Pass Duo Merit Solo Distinction Duo Merit Duo Pass Solo Merit

LAMDA With the children’s last lesson in March and only a brief catch up with Miss Whatley before their exam, we were delighted to report great LAMDA results. Many congratulations to all the children and Miss Whatley for the five distinctions, nine merits and two passes. Congratulations must also go to Charlotte (8G), who was awarded a drama scholarship to Seaford and to Matilda (6G) and Anastasia (6R) for their winning duologue at Godalming Performing Arts Festival. The girls performed a piece learnt in their LAMDA lessons with Miss Whatley about a customer and a waiter entitled “There’s nothing to it”. The judges described their entry as a “slick and well polished performance... well presented, lots of energy and gesture.”

Performing Arts

Christmas Counts It was the most joyful time of the year... the Pre-Prep Nativity! It was the first Christmas night in Bethlehem and a group of census-takers were carrying out Caesar’s urgent decree that everyone in his empire should be counted. They counted the people of Bethlehem, the Wise Men and their camels and nearly fell asleep counting sheep with the shepherds. Mary and Joseph walked a long, long way and there was no room at the inn. Then, a countless host of angels appeared with the good news of Jesus’ birth, which sends the shepherds running right to the stable to meet Mary and Joseph and one special baby. There they realise that Jesus being born shows how much God cares and how Christmas counts for everyone. The songs were infectious, the dancing was groovy, lines were word perfect and each and every child shone. It was a wonderful Christmas treat. Thank you to Mrs Crisell, Mrs Harris and all the Pre-Prep staff and also to Harriet Hardy and Kirsty Hobkirk for the musical support. Mrs Hardy and Miss Hobkirk

Wind in the Willows ‘In the play there is an important fight scene in Toad’s house with the weasels to stop them taking over it. I found the plot interesting because Toad gets himself into trouble and gets out of it each time. The main characters were Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger. My favourite character was Mole as he acted well. I did like the show because there were lots of things happening at once. I recommend ‘Wind in the Willows’. The scenery was brilliant and there were lots of different characters.’ Charlie S (4R) ‘In the play Toad stole a motorcar and ended up in gaol. The girl decided that the penalty was too severe and she had a plan. I found the plot interesting because you never knew what would happen next! The main characters were Mole, Toad, Rat and Badger. Toad was my favourite character because he had lots of crazy ideas! I loved the show because there were lots of problems that got solved. My favourite part was when they crashed and Toad sat straight up in the middle of the road and said, ‘Poop poop!’ I would recommend this show to your family because it is exciting, funny and adventurous.’ Clara (4R) ‘It all begins on the river bank. Toad causes commotion by stealing a motor car. Rat, Mole and Badger are disappointed by his actions. Toad’s luck helped him to get back to his friends at

‘My favourite character was Toad; he’s so comical and enthusiastic in his performance.’ Amelie (4R) ‘I enjoyed the battle scene as all the characters were running around the stage; it was chaos!’ Daisy-Skye (4G) ‘I found the show entertaining. My favourite part was when Toad escaped from jail and was really excited. It was a dramatic change of scene when Toad realised that he had forgotten his money.’ Gus (4R)

Toad Hall, however he soon discovered that it had been taken

‘I would recommend the performance to all ages as the singing

over by the wild wooders.’ Cleo (4R)

was uplifting and the acting powerful.’ Ottilie (4G)

Performing Arts

Honk! Our Year 8 production of ‘Honk!’ was a stunning success. ‘Honk!’ follows the life of an ugly duckling and the troubles and trials that come with it. Ugly is brought up in a family who rejects him… except his mother, Ida. Soon Ugly proves everyone wrong and becomes a beautiful swan. I played the father and

The rehearsals were fun and everybody was

husband of Ida called Drake. Our rehearsals were full of joyous

really enthusiastic. I played the part of Billy, one of the ugly

singing and enthusiastic actors ready to perform. This play

duckling’s brothers who bullies him. The set was amazing and I

was great at pushing people out of their comfort zones with

got to hatch out of a magnetic egg which was really fun. The

solo singing parts and major roles in the play. On Thursday 5th

songs were really good and I particularly liked ‘Look At Him’,

December we performed to the parents. The night itself was the

because everybody sang it really well. Matilda (8G)

best performance we had ever done. Everyone was confident and proud to be on the stage. ‘Honk!’ was loved by the parents and was a great success. Fraser (8G)

On Thursday 5th of December, Year 8 performed the wonderful musical comedy of ‘Honk!’ The story is about a poor ugly duckling who loses his mum and finds her again, meeting some

Year 8 performed the musical ‘Honk!’ on Thursday 5th

interesting characters along the way. He even finds out he is a

December 2019. ‘Honk!’ is a musical about an ugly duckling

swan. I played the part of Bullfrog. He is a very funny frog that

who gets lost and goes on a long journey to try and find his

always has many jokes up his sleeve. He always tries to bring a

family and he meets some interesting animals along the way.

smile to Ugly’s face when he is down. I love this part as I love comedic parts and I think it really suits me. Oscar (8G)

Performing Arts

On Thursday 5th December 2019, Year 8 performed ‘Honk!’ the musical. This is a play about a swan that was separated from his family of ducks and his journey to find them again. The rehearsals were challenging but very enjoyable. Everybody was really enthusiastic. One of the best things about this play was it pushed people out of their comfort zones. Many people who had never sung in front of an audience were put up to sing solos. These people gave it their very best and they were truly fantastic. Singing in front of a large audience is not easy so On Thursday 5th December 2019, Year 8 performed a play called ‘Honk!’. It was a musical based on the story ‘The Ugly Duckling’ featuring a cat, two parents, one loving and one a bit more difficult, four little ducklings and a baby swan called Ugly. The children worked hard and were enthusiastic all the way, singing lots of catchy songs like ‘Wild Goose Chase’ and my personal favourite one ‘Play With Your Food’. The props played a massive part in the play, like the magnetic eggs and the fences that truly made you feel as if you were there yourself. But the thing that made it all worthwhile was the amazing acting of the cat. Max (8G) ‘Honk!’ was the show performed by Year 8 on Thursday 5th December. ‘Honk!’ is based on the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’, Mrs Mason (Director) did an excellent job putting the show together. The set was fantastic and it was obvious that a lot of hard work went into it by Mrs Mason and Mrs Hatcher (Head of Art). All the costumes were great and in my opinion, I think that they all suited the parts in the play. Sascha (8G)

bravery was also a big factor of this play. The part I played was Ugly. Ugly is the swan that goes missing so I had a lot of lines. Despite the fact it was hard to learn all of them, it was really enjoyable. Singing solos was quite scary, especially on the night, but if everybody else could sing in front of this large crowd then so could I. Afterwards all of us were really proud of ourselves and the play turned out to be a complete success. James H (8G) Our play was ‘Honk!’, a modern interpretation of ‘The Ugly Duckling’. We performed on Thursday 5th December to the parents and it was spectacular with the magnetic eggs for the ducklings to pop out as if they were hatching. ‘Honk!’ is a play of a duckling’s transformation from duck to swan through an adventure with the cat, a famished feline hungry for Ugly in his tummy. In the end Ugly is in love with Penny, a beautiful swan and the King of the Lake arrives on a

I was very proud to be one of those special Year 8’s performing in

segway and hands him the red

the best play of the year, ‘Honk! Jr’ the musical. I loved rehearsing

band which changes to the

every Thursday and Friday afternoon. I played the part of Downy,

Cygnet Ring.

an energetic fluffy duckling that bullies his brother and gets

James D (8G)

grounded and is very naughty. I also played Barnacles, a clumsy goose who is very stupid and falls over a lot. My favourite part of playing in ‘Honk!’ was coming out of my egg and having a big smile on my face. My favourite song was ‘Look At Him’ because it was the only one where I had the spotlight. Rupert (8G)

Music

It has been a busy year for the Music Department and practical examination resu lts have continued to be impressive. The number of ensembles has grown, with four choirs, a Pre-Prep reco rder group and Middle Prep rock band. It was wonderful to see many accomplished performances at our termly concerts and over 100 children took part in the Carol Service. Musical collaboration between Barrow Hills and King Edward’s Witley has continued; instrum entalists took part in the annual Prep Schools’ Orchestral Day and the Bridewell Singers joined the King Edward’ s Chapel Choir for Bridewell Day. A candlelit perf ormance of Fauré’s Requiem in March was a first, with children , staff and parents of both schools coming together. The Music Department rose to the challenge of remote learning with many instrumental and vocal lessons moving online, culminating in a ‘Together at Home’ concert over half term and a virtual Proms to celebrate the end of term. Congratulations to our marvello

excellent exam results. Grade 2 Singing Grade 1 Trumpet Grade 4 Singing Grade 2 Singing Grade 1 Piano Grade 1 Piano

us musicians on their

Aoife (5G) Edith (5R) Verity (6R) Lara (5G) Dominic (6G) Alfred (4R)

Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Distinction

Autumn Concert 2019 With just half a term of practising under their belts, our children were ready to put on a tour de force of performances in our first concert of the academic year. It was tremendous to have some eighty children, from Year 1 through to Year 8, taking to the stage to perform an eclectic mix of music. They all performed with a sense of style and clear enjoyment. This was a real celebration of the musical talent here at Barrow Hills and the children should all be congratulated on their hard work. It was a pleasure to see so many ensembles perform alongside soloists. From choirs to our very own rock band, the children clearly relished taking to the stage in the wonderful acoustics of the school chapel. It was super to see such a mix of instrumentalists and vocalists perform in front of their peers and of their parents. Thank you to all teachers and parents for supporting the children in the many hours of practice. Mr Sliwka

Spring Concert 2020 Barrow Hills Spring Term Concert was a huge success on Tuesday evening. The audience enjoyed both ensemble and solo items, all performed with polish and with a fantastic amount of stage presence. Particularly popular with the audience was the Year 5 band, the Skull Splitters, who played one of their own compositions and also bravely debuted at King Edward’s the following evening in front of the whole school. It was fantastic to see performances from age groups right across the school, from the youngest Larks choir and recorder ensemble in Pre-Prep, up to the Senior Choir comprised of children from the top end of the School. The Year 5 and 6 choir performed ‘Food, Glorious, Food’ from their upcoming production of ‘Oliver’, and it is clear to see they are working very hard towards what will be a wonderful occasion. It was lovely to see a packed Chapel with parents and family members coming to support their children. A huge thanks must go to all of the music teachers who helped to prepare the children to such a high standard, and also to those teachers who stayed late to supervise the children before and during the concert. Miss Hobkirk

Performing Arts

Ballet News It has been another busy year for Miss Anna, accompanied by Miss Lucy, with some fantastic exam results in November. In other news, Suzie successfully auditioned for London Junior Ballet Associates and Miss Anna would particularly like the Grade 3 ballet girls to know how proud she is of all their hard work. Congratulations to Laura who was awarded the Holford Pre-Prep Ballet Cup, to Suzie who received the Effort Cup for Ballet and to Phoebe who was awarded the Holford Ballet Cup.

EXAM RESULTS November 2019 Pre-Primary Passes:

Arthur, Kiera, Alexa, Albert, Laura, Esme, Florence

Primary:

Thomas George Rosie

Merit Merit Merit

Grade One

Suzie Annabel

Distinction Merit

Grade Three:

Florence

Pass

Grade Four Solo Performance Award:

Jessica

Distinction

Girls Sport Lacrosse Due to the cancellation of sporting events across the UK, our lacrosse season was cut short. We did however, manage to play matches against St Edmund’s, Edgeborough and The Royal. The team learnt the importance of being fit for this sport and to individually mark.

Hockey

IAPS U11 Hockey Tournament On Wednesday 2nd October, the U11 girls travelled to Bryanston School to compete in the IAPS U11 Hockey Tournament. The day got off to a booming start with a 3-0 win over West Buckland School. However, the girls then secured two draws, 0-0 Castle Court and 1-1 Forres Sandle Manor, followed by a 0-1 loss to Hampshire Collegiate. This put them in 3rd place overall in their section and a place in the Plate Competition. The girls played brilliant hockey but sadly lost in the quarter final of the plate 0-1 to Yateley Manor. Their ball speed was fast, transition of the ball using the entire width of the pitch was also great, the team just need to be quicker to score from rebounds off the goalkeeper.

Senior Girls Team Our senior girls team consisted of just eight girls and they have really learnt the importance of team work on the hockey pitch this year. Phoebe (7G) was phenomenal in defence and spent the season learning there is nothing to stop a defender driving the ball down the right hand side and into the attacking half of the pitch! Tilly (8G) mastered putting her pace into practice and she proved hard for the opposition to mark, driving the ball into the D on many an occasion for our forwards to poach a goal. The senior team played their best hockey in a match against Amesbury that ended in a 0-0 draw. Mrs Burnett commented, “I was a very proud coach that afternoon!” U10B PGS Tournament On Wednesday 13th November, a team from Year 5 participated in the Portsmouth Grammar School U10B hockey tournament. They were superb and won the tournament! The Year 5B team girls have been learning to pass wide and make sure a player was always ahead of the ball for a pass. They also marked really well as soon as they lost possession of the ball. Scores: Won against: Ryde, Princes Mead, PGS, St Gabriel’s Drew against: Sherborne House

Cranleigh U10A Hockey Tournament On Wednesday 26th February, our U10 hockey team travelled to Cranleigh for a round robin tournament against six other schools.

The team finished 4th in a very high standard tournament. They beat Highfield 1-0, Windlesham 2-0, drew 0-0 against Hoe Bridge and lost 0-1 to Cranleigh, Amesbury and Lambrook. They played with great determination and marked incredibly well in defence. A special well done to our goalkeeper Tatum who made plenty of saves and received excellent coaching from Heidi throughout the tournament. U9’s Unbeaten Season The Barrow Hills U9 hockey team are proving hard to beat. They played five hockey matches and won all five against: Pennthorpe, Belmont, St Edmund’s, Longacre and Feltonfleet. Sadly, their U9 hockey tournament at PGS was cancelled due to weather otherwise they were sure to have done very well! We are looking forward to seeing how this team develop as they progress through the school.

Sport

Netball Seniors Netball Team This was a challenging season for the U13 team: three tournaments and 10 fixtures. In the 10 match afternoon fixtures they won two, drew one and lost seven. This team certainly learnt how to be resilient this year. U8 Edgeborough Tournament On Thursday 7th November, our Year 3 girls participated in a netball tournament at Edgeborough. They played three matches: Amesbury 0-4, Edgeborough 0-1 and Brookham 0-1. A tough day playing some big schools, but a very good experience and the standard of play definitely improved throughout the afternoon. Well played Year 3 girls! Cranleigh U8 Netball Tournament On Thursday 21st November, the U8 girls participated in a netball festival held at Cranleigh School. They played four matches: St Hilary’s drew 0-0, Edgeborough lost 0-1, Brookham lost 0-1, Belmont lost 0-1. Although they did lose three out of their four matches they did have plenty of opportunities to score and very often far more chances than their opposition did! So shooting for all in Year 3 will be the focus for the next coming weeks. The speed of passing, ball marking and defending is looking very good girls! Well done for your fantastic effort on a cold afternoon.

The U11 team had a tough draw taking on Millfield followed by equally strong Cheam. They were 2-1 up against Millfield (who went on to be the overall runners up) with 5 minutes left to go but then a flurry of interceptions in our centre pass saw them lose 5-2. However, the U11 team did not let their heads go down and they went on to win the following six matches against: St Swithun’s, Sandroyd, Truro Prep, Clayesmore, Walhampton and Westbourne House.

Cottesmore - Won 7-3 Duncombe - Lost 3-6 Langley Prep - Won 7-2 Witham Hall - Lost 2-7 (Witham Hall went on to win the tournament)

The girls were crowned winners of the Vase Competition. Well done to all of you who played, you were superb! The U13 team also had an incredibly tough draw and the number of 12 and 13 year old girls over the height of 5 ft 9” was incredible! They also played seven games and learnt how to lose gracefully. They showed remarkable resilience throughout the tournament and did not let their spirits dampen. Well done to all of you. Westbourne House U11 Netball Tournament On Wednesday 6th February, our U11 girls took part in a netball tournament at Westbourne House and they were victorious. The results were: Westbourne House: 4-0, Oakwood: 6-5, Windlesham: 5-4

Bryanston Netball Tournament On Wednesday 22nd January, our U11 and U13 netball teams travelled to Bryanston School in Dorset to participate in a netball tournament against over 40 prep schools.

U11 IAPS Netball On Thursday 13th February, the Barrow Hills U11A Netball Team travelled to Framlingham College in Suffolk to participate in the IAPS U11 Small Schools Netball Competition. We played a warm up game against Framlingham on the Thursday afternoon and drew 7-7. After a good night’s sleep in the hotel the girls were ready for the tournament. We had five schools in our draw and a tough section.

Westhill Park: 4-0, Sompting Abbott’s: 7-0, Final vs Hurst: 3-2 Congratulations to all girls, you were on top form! Player of the tournament was Heidi (5G).

Barrow Hills finished in third place and went through to the plate competition. During the afternoon the girls had three more matches: a quarter final against St Ives which they won convincingly 12-1, a semi-final against Terrington Hall, won 10-1 and finally the plate final against The Royal which we won 5-4! Well done to all the U11 girls for playing so well throughout the trip. Beatrix (6G) was awarded player of the tournament and Verity (6R) was awarded a water bottle and talent spotted by the Director of Netball at Framlingham College.

Mixed Sport Cross Country St Catherine’s Cross-Country On Tuesday 17th September, girls in Years 3 and 4 took part in the St Catherine’s cross-country competition, racing against seven other schools. The course was a gentle one, consisting of a lap around the outside of their field. This stood them in good stead for a tough hilly competition the following week at Seaford! There were 63 runners in each race and all the Barrow Hills girls finished with a smile having tried their hardest. We managed to gain two top ten finishing positions: Cleo (4R) 2nd U9 girls race Eliza (3G) 7th U8 girls race Well done to all the girls who ran.

Junior Colts Cross Country On Friday 27th September, girls and boys from Years 3 and 4 had their turn to race in the Seaford crosscountry competition. There were six other schools competing with a field of 40 children per race. The course was quite brutal for our 7-9 year olds, a mile long and the first 600m was all up a steep hill! In the U8 girls’ race Eliza (3G) made an amazing sprint finish with 20m to go, moving from 3rd place into 1st place. Great finish Eliza! U8 Girls Eliza (3G) 1st U8 Girls Team - 3rd Overall U8 Boys Freddie (3G) 6th Ollie (3R) 5th U8 Boys Team - 2nd Overall U9 Girls Cleo (4R) 2nd Clara (4R) 6th Ottilie (4G) 8th U9 Girls Team - 2nd Overall U9 Boys Alfred (4R) 7th

Seaford Cross Country On Friday 20th September, U10 and U11 girls and boys raced the Seaford 1 mile cross-country competition against 13 other schools. The children set off uphill and all came back reporting it was not as bad as they had thought! The U11 girls finished 3rd overall as a team. Individual top ten placings: Heidi (5G) 1st U10 Girls Anastasia (6R) 2nd U11 Girls Beatrix (6G) 6th U11 Girls

Sport

Ripley Court Cross-Country 2019 On Monday 7th October, girls and boys from Years 3-8 ran in the Ripley Court Cross-Country competition against 14 other schools. We had an amazing start to the afternoon with Cleo (4R) winning the U9 girls race, sprinting from 2nd into 1st position with 100m to go! The U9 girls came 2nd overall as a team out of the 14 schools which was fantastic (3rd Hoe Bridge and 1st Notre Dame). Other medal winners include Anastasia (6R) who ran an impressive 2.5 laps to finish 3rd in the U11 girls’ race. James H (8G) also came 3rd in the U13 boys’ race, which was three laps and roughly 2.5km. Overall the U9 boys came 3rd (Hoe Bridge 2nd, Claremont 1st). The U13 boys came 2nd as a team (Milbourne Lodge 3rd and Hoe Bridge 1st). Additional top ten finishers: U9 Boys U13 Boys U13 Boys

Alfred (4R) 6th Cade (7G) 5th James D (8G) 9th

Mrs Burnett commented, “As I watched the Barrow Hills children running, not only was it so apparent they were always in the top half of the pack but I was so impressed by the way they all finished the race. Every child sprinted with at least 100m left to go and all were then on their feet and able to cheer on the older pupils in races to follow. A great atmosphere, well done Barrow Hills!”

St Edmund’s Cross-Country On Friday 29th November, our cross-country runners were in action at St Edmund’s competing against 21 schools. The course was 1.2km for U9, 1.6km for U11 and 2km for U13. Well done to all who ran on a tricky course: hilly, slippery, narrow in parts and plenty of competition. Each race had roughly 100-120 runners and Barrow Hills gained some very impressive results: Top ten results: U9 Girls - Cleo (4R) 4th U9 Girls - Clara (4R) 7th U9 Boys - Alfred (4R) 10th U11 Girls - Beatrix (6G) 5th U11 Girls - Anastasia (6R) 8th U13 Boys - Cade (7G) 3rd U9 Girls - 2nd overall in team competition U11 Girls - 2nd overall in team competition

Barrow Hills Cross Country Event Barrow Hills welcomed approximately 300 children from local schools in December, when we hosted our annual community cross country event. Children from Years 5 and 6, from Barrow Hills and neighbouring primary schools took part in the pre-Christmas run, undeterred by the cold and muddy conditions, designed to unite children in the local community. Starting on the sports field, the race continued through the centre of school, past the art department and the science labs, down the drive, around the perimeter of the school grounds, finishing with a final lap of the field. The large group of children were split according to year group and gender and the field was highly competitive, with over 70 runners in each race.

Swimming St Edmund’s Gala On Tuesday 24th September, children from Years 4-8 participated in our first swimming gala of the year against St Edmund’s. It was a closely fought contest with Barrow Hills losing by 10 points (132-122). Very well done to all the children who swam. Individual winners: Amelie (4R) - U9 Backstroke (joint first) Charlie S (4G) - U9 Backstroke (joint first) Cleo (4R) - U9 Breaststroke Rosie (6R) - U11 Butterfly Verity (6R) - U11 Freestyle Barrow Hills Gala Our first home gala of the year was a very tough one; St Hilary’s and St Ives were both incredibly strong. Barrow Hills girls

After all that physical exertion the children were treated to a delicious hot snack, and chilly parents to tea and cake, which was extremely well received! Organiser Mr Clarke said, “It was lovely to see so many children here, not only enjoying the benefits of running in the great outdoors but also having the opportunity to forge new friendships. We are privileged to be set in a fantastic location with access to the beautiful 33-acre estate that provides superb sporting facilities as well as a variety of outdoor learning opportunities. As far as we are concerned, every child who took part is a winner, it was wonderful to witness the camaraderie and genuine sporting spirit amongst all the competitors. I would also like to thank our older children who helped direct and encourage the runners around the course and make the event run so smoothly.”

came 3rd and the boys 4th. Well done to all who swam especially those from Year 3, for entering their first gala. They all swam bravely and kept going, well done! We finished on a high with the U11 girls team who were unbeaten. Individual winners: U8 Breaststroke - Alexander (3R) U8 Freestyle - Eliza (3R) U11 Butterfly - Rosie (6R) U11 Freestyle - Verity (6R) IAPS Swimming Four girls competed in the U11 swimming IAPS competition this year. Across the UK, 1500 children entered this competition and the top 20 pupils in each category are invited to National Finals. On Thursday 5th March Verity (6R), Rosie (6R), Anastasia (6R) and Heidi (5G) travelled

to the Royal Russell School in Croydon to see if they could qualify. They achieved the following times and positions. Anastasia 50m Backstroke 46.65secs - 94th out of 157 schools Rosie 50m Breaststroke 53.34secs - 105th out of 131 schools Verity 50m Butterfly 44.36secs - 7th out of 113 schools Heidi 50m Freestyle 40.65secs - 137th out of 187 schools Medley Relay – 81st out of 132 schools (to note, our girls beat some incredible strong local rivals in this event: St Hilary’s, Cranleigh, Highfield, Edgeborough and Farleigh) Freestyle Relay – 95th out of 150 schools.

Sport

Boys Sport Football 1st XI Football As Captain of the 1st XI Football team, I feel very privileged to write our end of season report. What a season we had! There were plenty of highs, a handful of lows, and most importantly some great individual and team performances, making this a memorable and generally successful season. I felt truly honoured to captain such a resilient and like-minded group of boys this year. Working as a team was always the first priority, and we showed great spirit and determination in the way we approached each and every game. Although everyone played their part and to the best of their abilities, there are a few people who I think deserve a special mention for making a real difference to the team. Firstly, our shot saving keeper, Oscar (8G); Oscar made some amazing saves this season and, on a few occasions, it was his agility in goal which kept us in the game. Being a goalkeeper means there is nowhere to hide, but Oscar remained cool and calm at all times, and never shied away from challenges. Cade (7G) really made the midfield his own, bossing the team and running the length of the pitch. His excellent fitness levels meant that Cade always managed to look fresh

and capable of covering distances with ease. Having Cade in the team meant I always knew we had someone who could run down the opposition and help the team both upfront and in defence. Finally, I want to mention Alex (8G), who scored a fantastic number of goals. Alex didn’t play as a striker, which makes his goal tally even more impressive. As a midfielder he was strong on the ball, and it was great to see him rise to the challenge whenever a goal scoring opportunity came his way. His attitude and team spirit boosted the boys every week. As with every season, one or two moments stand out as especially memorable. In our first game of the season, against St Edmund’s A team, in heavy rain, we won 3-2, with the last kick of the game being the winning goal! All of us were delighted and it was a great moment of camaraderie between the boys. A couple of funny moments spring to mind, including Alex telling me, in a game against Amesbury, that he couldn’t stop missing goals, before running off and scoring an absolute beauty! In the final game of the season, against Pennthorpe, we won a penalty. We let Oscar (whose goal scoring opportunities were pretty rare!) come up to take it, and he sent it sailing wide to the right!

We were winning easily so nobody was remotely worried, but it was certainly an entertaining moment! Finally, a word on the team as a whole. I think the biggest improvements came in our understanding of how we each play, our interplay and composure when receiving the ball. We learned to work as a team and to support each other on and off the pitch. I would like to thank Mr Conway for coaching us, for always supporting us and for taking the time to make sure we all developed both individually and as a team. James H (8G) 2nd XI Football During the football season there have been ups and downs for the seconds and although we lost nearly all the games, we improved as individual players and as a team. At the start of the football season everyone was determined to do their best and improved in the process. Due to the confident coaching of the teachers one of our team, Barnaby (8G), moved up into the firsts. Probably the area in which our team improved the most was attack and defence due to our amazing goalie Tommy (7G) and our fantastic attack midfield and strikers Oli (7G), Rupert (8G), Taylor (7G) and Oli (7G). Personally, my favourite part of the season was the end for everyone had got better and we had become a stronger team and in all made the season that more fun. Max (8G)

42 Colts A1 Football The A1s had a good season, with some superb performances and a great attitude shown by all the boys. Even during the games we lost, it was great to see the boys remain focused and positive, and continue to try their very best until the final whistle.

Colts A2 Football Ray (6R) played very well in goal making some vital saves to stop us from defeat and even coming out of goal and scoring in our 3-0 win over Belmont. Joel (5R) was very good in defence putting lots of pressure on the striker to

Everyone on the team always gave 100%, however a few stand

make sure they didn’t get a shot and helping in counter

out performances deserve a special mention. Firstly, Gabriel (5G),

attacks. Toby (6R) was very good in midfield helping the

who we could always rely on to score. Gabriel’s goal tally was

defence and distributing the ball on to the wingers and

impressive and his accuracy meant we were confident whenever

he got our second in our 3-0 win over Belmont. Jago (6R)

he ran forward.

played in multiple positions but I think he stood out in the

Secondly, Edward (5G) was amazing in goal! He is an excellent

midfield, scoring a banger of a goal against Great Ballard in

shot stopper and would often throw himself across the goal,

our 3-0 win.

managing to just get his fingertips to the ball. On several

Owen (5G) was a great striker scoring in our 2-1 win over

occasions, he kept us in matches and was always fearless in his

Chandler and our 1-0 win over Edgeborough. Huw (5R)

determination to get to the ball.

made things happened in the midfield, making lots of

Finally, Tom H (6G) deserves some credit for playing in defence,

passes, getting up and down the pitch and helping the

even though he would usually play further up the field. Tom held

defence. I played well in defence, stopping counter attacks

his position well and on a few occasions his goal line clearances

and scored two goals in our 3-0 win over Great Ballard and

saved the team.

scoring 1 in our 2-1 win over Chandler. The highlight of the

One of the highlights of the season came in our game against Hoe Bridge School. Their team was in attack and several of our players were at the goal mouth and cleared it off the line again and again! Hoe Bridge were sure they were going to score,

season was coming second at the Great Ballard tournament, beating six teams and beating another team from Barrow Hills. It was good to see the whole team scoring goals. Jackson (6R)

and it definitely looked like the ball would cross the line, but we worked as a team and somehow kept it out. Over the course of the season, I think the biggest improvement the team showed was with our communication with one another, and in developing our skills with transition.

Colts B1 Football This was a tough but fun season for the Colts B1s. This season we tried hard and we overcame a lot of challenges. During the season, Nathaniel (6G) was an amazing defender who tackled people an astonishing number of times. Charlie (5R) was able to

I would like to thank Mr Clarke for coaching us, for taking us to

dash up the pitch without losing possession before passing to a

all our matches, and for always looking for the positives in our

teammate who could score. Despite strong opponents, Paul (6G)

game and helping us all to achieve our potential.

maintained pressure on the opposing side all the time. While

Jonah (6R)

playing Aldro, our marvellous goalkeeper, Edward L (5G), saved multiple goals. Theo (6G) was our top goal scorer over the whole season against very good goalkeepers. In the final game of the season, I made a long run up the pitch between four players, then passed to Theo who scored. The bit I enjoyed the most was playing a tournament against other schools for the first time. As a team we improved our passing and taking the ball to the edge of the pitch because the other team went down the middle. We are looking forward to the next fun season. Dominic (6G)

Sport Junior Colts A1 Football This year’s football season for the A1s was amazing we were undefeated the whole half term of football! Alfred (4R) did very good defending, Freddie (3G) did some amazing passes that led to goals and scored some goals too. Hamish (4R) was amazing! He did some brilliant saves to keep us in the game. One of the saves he did against Pennthorpe got us so confident it led to a 7-1 win. I think over the season our team got better at teamwork and we started to pass when we needed to. That is why we did so well, because we worked as a team. Gus (4R)

Junior Colts B1 Football Our team performed well this season, especially in the inter-school tournament. Everyone contributes in our team. Hugo (3G) never panics under pressure and this helps us all stay calm, Camilo’s (3G) enthusiasm helps us all get excited for our matches and we always have fun together on the pitch, whether we win or lose the game. Fletcher (3R) is best at ‘assists’ and altogether we have been improving every week, winning more and more matches as the term has gone on. I play midfield, breaking up attacks and setting up goals, which is a position I really like as midfielders get to do the most running and get to help with both defence and attack. In training, we especially enjoyed penalty shoot-out practice with Mr Conway, and we had to work on the control and accuracy of our passes. After much practice we improved a lot. Our away game against Belmont was a challenge as Belmont are also a good team, and they nearly scored in the second half, but we won 1-0 in the end. I am proud of how hard our team has worked this season, and I think we all learnt to be better players this year. Max (4R)

Junior Colts B2 Football The B2s are a great team. We played well in all our matches. Magnificent goal scoring from Charlie T (4G), excellent defending from Ben (3G), good goalkeeping from Noah (3G) and skilful attacking from James (3G). Everybody else showed solid skills. The team succeeded during tournaments because the more matches we played, the better the team became. By the end of the term, we almost knew what each other were thinking on and off the pitch. If we could play for another half term we would have a good chance against the B1s and even the A2s! Max (4G)

Junior Colts A2 Football Our team work was good in the first match. We played in a tournament in the first week and we won all our matches and drew one. We had a great football season this year. Our passing was good, we stayed focused and never gave up. We got better at our passing during the season. My favourite part of the season was trying to score goals. Charlie S (4G)

Year 2’s First Football! Wow - Year 2, what fantastic football! It was a wet and and windy Friday afternoon but nothing was going to dampen their spirits as the Year 2s and their Year 8 umpires/coaches Oscar, James D and Alexander headed to the pitches to face Stoughton Infant School. The children ran, tackled, scored, saved and above all played joyfully with enthusiasm and sportsmanship in their first Barrow Hills fixture. They all then enjoyed a delicious match tea, possibly followed by a trip to the BHCC cake sale! What a great Friday afternoon!

Rugby 1st XII Ruby I was delighted to have the honour of being

determination put into our games it always

(8G). I loved working with this team as it

captain of the XII rugby team this season.

felt like a win. I would like to mention

had a great variety of different players, from

Especially as this is easily the best team I’ve

players that stood out for me, I am not

big and strong: Harry (7G) and Oscar (8G)

ever played in throughout all of my life in

putting them above anybody else, I’m just

to determined players like Nicholas (8G) and

rugby at Barrow Hills. I feel the team really

noting the fact that they had so much

Fraser (8G). There were even the fast players

bonded and with this bond came a better,

determination. Nicholas (8G) never gave up

like Cade (7G) and Alex (8G). The success

stronger team. Although this wasn’t the

in my eyes and got upset and tried harder

all came from hard work and determination

only reason behind how well we played, we

if we were losing. Another player I would

and a great set of coaches. I would like

also had great coaches in Mr Hatcher and

like to mention is Louis (7G) as he used

to thank all of our coaches and all of the

Mr Conway.

his speed and stamina to his advantage,

The team may have not got the highest

making him hard to catch, Along with Louis

results but due to all the strength and

I also saw this in Alex (8G) and James H

2nd XII Rugby This year, the second team have had an excellent season and have progressed enormously throughout all areas of the game. A great example of this is Barnaby (7G) as he has harnessed his speed to enhance the quality of his gameplay, making many great runs towards the end of the season. Unfortunately, halfway through the season, Tom (7G) broke his wrist so we had less substitutes in the second half of the season. Nevertheless, the effort was still fantastic. Credit to Oliver K (7G) for his reckless tackling and flawless effort, always the first to the ruck and breaking down the play. The highlight of the season for me was our last game as a team against Amesbury. Even though we lost, we put up a great fight and it was the best our team had performed all season. Even some of the less confident players had a good go at tackling, with Max (8G) making some excellent runs and tackles. A massive thank you to Mr Oldroyd and Mr Crisell for coaching us. James D (8G)

Colts 5A Rugby The Colts 5A rugby team have really improved throughout the season. I have really enjoyed all the matches and the team spirit has made it even more enjoyable.

players in our team for being so good and working for their goals. Rupert (8G)

Colts 5B Rugby It was a challenging season. In the last game, our tackling had improved so much the opposition were hardly scoring any tries. The most exciting

I cannot forget Charlie’s (5R) tackling and

match was against a strong team at

Gabriel (5G) dodging tackles and scoring

Amesbury, where the score was a very

tries. Joel (5R) did very well for his first time

close 6-5 to Barrow Hills. At one point,

playing rugby, getting involved in all parts of

we were 5-3 down but we managed to

the game and showing good aggression.

score three tries in the last five minutes

By the end of the season, the whole team

to win the game. It was the most

improved their passing, off-loading and

exciting game I have played at Barrow

spreading out across the whole pitch.

Hills so far. Jonah (6R) scored lots and

Thank you for the support of the parents at matches and most of all thank you to Mr Clarke for coaching us, it really was a fun season. Sam (5R)

lots of tries, including running the full length of the pitch to score. A special mention to Sebastian (6G) who scored a fantastic try running past six of the opposing team players in our match against Great Ballard. Paul (6G) was excellent at tackling and making sure that the other team didn’t score. The part I enjoyed the most was how our team developed over the season and became much better at passing to each other and gaining ground that way. Dominic (6G)

Sport 45

Junior Colts 4A Rugby

(4G) has surprised with his consistency,

This term, the Junior Colts 4A rugby team

always giving his best. As for myself, I

has enjoyed playing together and improving

have enjoyed running and tackling even

at every match. We have trained hard, both

if that meant getting a bit hurt (no pain,

to gain physical strength and improve our

no gain).

technique. Our coach, Mr. Hatcher, does not take “no” for an answer, and always expects us to give 110%, giving us specific guidance and feedback so that we can learn from our mistakes. Every player has been extraordinary in one way or another, which has contributed to the overall performance of the team. When Hamish (4R) gets the ball, he sprints like a cheetah towards the try line. Alfred (4R) concentrates in a way that gets the team focused. Gus’ (4R) tackling is fearless and gets opponents to drop the ball. Timo’s (4R) kindness pulls the team together, helping us to recover when we are not doing great. Jacob

Junior Colts 4B Rugby We had a great rugby season! It was the first season that we got to play contact rugby which was the best part of the whole season! Everyone

But most importantly we have come

tried hard. Ronnie (4R) is so fast on

together as a team, supporting each other

the rugby pitch, Montgomery (4G)

and communicating at all times. We don’t

and I enjoyed scoring tries, Charlie T

have a Hakka, but our shouting “go” at

(4G) became really good at blocking

the start of each match shocks the other

and with Max (4G), Max (4R), and

team and strengthens our bond.

Timo (4R), we all really improved

Every week, we would train like

at attacking. We also learnt about

professionals in preparation for each

forming an arrow to pass the ball to

match and could not wait for Thursday

the right. We enjoyed getting muddy

to come. We have enjoyed playing both

and then warming up over match

home and away, especially with great

teas. Thank you to all our coaches for

match teas to share with all players. I

encouraging us and to Mr Hatcher

want to thank my friends and our coach

for giving us a chance to play in the A

for making this season really special.

team as well.

Lucas (4G)

Jethro (4G)

Junior Colts 3B Rugby

Junior Colts 3A Rugby The Junior Colts 3A rugby team had a

and work together. While Freddie (3G)

fantastic season and every player learnt

only played a few matches because of

how to tag and how to pass. We won

his hamstring injury, he was very good

many of our games, but my favourite

at everything especially helping all the

part of the season was when we

other players to get better.

worked hard together, both at practice

The first match we played was a victory.

and in the matches. It is great to see

Everybody started well because we

people on the team working hard,

wanted to make it a good season.

trying their best, learning the game and

Throughout the season, the team learnt

helping each other improve through

to stay in a line together to defend

the matches.

against the other team and to form

The best thing about rugby was going to Twickenham. When we first got there we walked to the Rugby stadium where we watched some games then a match. It was epic because we got to see the whole of the women’s match – Oxford University versus Cambridge University. In the afternoon we went to the museum which was amazing because it was totally interactive – like measuring the power in our shoulders by doing a group charge.

an arrow head shape when we were

When I was in a rugby match with the

attacking so that we could pass the ball

other teams at school, Luke was in

to each other.

my team in the first round. Luke had

and scoring tries. Of particular note

Thank you to Mr Conway, Mr Clarke,

Luckily, he was quick and passed to me

was Alex (3R), who was very fast at

Mr Middleton and Mr Hatcher for

My proudest moment was the very first match of the season because everyone played extremely well passing, tagging

running up and down the pitch and scoring tries. Alfie (3R) was great at encouraging our players to do their best

teaching us all how to play rugby and

possession of the ball, but he was tagged. and I scored a try. I felt fantastic!

work together as a team.

The best players in B2 – not counting

Tobias (3G)

James (3G) and Alfie (3G). Our stand out

myself – were Charlie T (4G), Max (4G), player would have to be Charlie because he passes the ball to other people and he is fast. We all had a great time. Ben (3G)

Barrow Hills Skiers Four Year 8 boys prepared to take part in the IAPS Skiing Championships in Italy in March 2020. They would have competed in giant slalom, parallel slalom and ski cross races in Passo del Tonale. Sadly, the event was cancelled due to travel restrictions.

Sport Godalming Awards On Friday 8th November, at the annual Sport Godalming Awards, Barrow Hills’ triumphant U11 Hockey team came third in the Go Godalming Association ‘Young Sports Team’ category. Sport Godalming is an independent body with a wide brief in local leisure and sports for Godalming and surrounding villages and this award recognises local sporting achievement and celebrates the Godalming community’s passion for sport. Our 2018-19 U11 boys’ hockey team was nominated for the Sport Godalming award by their coach, Mr Clarke, after they scooped gold at the South Regional Schools In2Hockey finals earlier in the year. The triumph in the In2Hockey competition showcased the team’s real courage on the field as the boys were consistently pitched against teams from much bigger schools. A number of the players in the successful hockey team were also responsible for the school’s outright victory in the U11 Surrey Prep Schools Football Cup last November, which saw the Barrow Hills team do battle with 28 Surrey schools.

Commenting on Friday’s award announcement, Mr Conway and Mr Clarke said, “We simply could not be prouder of the team. Every single player has shown such resilience, dedication and at times bravery throughout the season but most important of all, each

child has proved themselves to be a good sport on the field, showing a generosity of spirit and compassion for others. These are qualities that we encourage in our children, as part of the Barrow Hills School Pupil Profile.”

Sport

Sports Day 2020 Sports Day 2020 took into consideration

Medals were awarded to the following children in each year group:

social distancing, so all children participated in five events within their bubble and there were no spectators this year.

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Nursery

Edward

Martha

Rose

Kindy

Wilfred

Clemmie & Cedric

Nuala

Pre-Prep Events:

Reception

Poppy

Eleanor

Margeaux

220m run

Year 1

Kit

Annabel

Thomas

Standing Long Jump

Year 2

Ethan

Mateo

Beatrice

Year 3 Girls

Xanthe

Sophie

Suzie

Year 3 Boys

Freddie

Tobias

Alex

25m Sprint (50m Years 1-2) 15m Sack Race Ball Throw

Year 4 Girls

Amelie

Clara

Cleo

Prep Events:

Year 4 Boys

Timo

Jacob

Lucas

440m run

Year 5 Girls

Chloe

Molly

Heidi

Standing Long Jump

Year 5 Boys

Owen

Charlie

Gabriel

Year 6 Girls

April

Anastasia

Beatrix

Year 6 Boys

Tom

Conrad

Toby

Year 7 Girls

Tilly

Jessica

Phoebe

Year 7 Boys

Tom

Louis

Cade

Year 8 Girls

Charlotte

Isobel

Tilly

Year 8 Boys

James

Oscar

James

Victrix Ludorum

Phoebe

Victor Ludorum

James H

75m Sprint (100m Years 7-8) 50m Skipping Race Ball Throw

Charity Ultimate Elton Everyone had a great time at our Ultimate Elton event in March. Particular thanks to David Brydon and his team of helpers for superbly coordinating the event, also to Lulu and Howard Boder

Hog Roast

for facilitating and for assisting ‘Elton’ on the night. The evening raised £1,431.79.

At our annual Hog Roast we welcomed

Everyone was very generous with

families old and new to usher in the new

donations at an all time high of £367.99

school year. It was an excellent afternoon,

plus 2 Singapore Dollars and a 50 Stotinki

set off by the open classroom, the chance

coin from Bulgaria!

to meet and talk to our new Head, catch up with friends and eat delicious pork, all rounded off by the beautiful English sun!

Thank you to the BHCC for organising such a successful event.

Macmillan Coffee Morning Coffee and bacon butties went down a treat when we joined in the national World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in September. The traditional Friday morning bacon buttie stall usually raises funds for the BHCC but this week the money was donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. The BHCC version of the classic coffee morning event, still featured bacon butties, kindly sponsored by the school caterers. Holroyd Howe also supplied coffee and cake for those preferring a sweet treat. Proceeds from the event amounted to a total of £455.26. Commenting on the fund-raising efforts, Cris Martin St Valery, Chair of the BHCC

said, “The school is committed to ensuring that children and staff never lose sight of the value of generosity and our ethos has always been to demonstrate care and compassion towards others. Teaching children these valuable life lessons and actively involving them in raising funds for Macmillan helps to shape their views on what really matters. It was fitting that the children hosted their own event and that all money raised should be diverted to such a worthy cause, on this national fund-raising day. People gave generously as the whole school community came together to make the morning a huge success. Thank you to all those who helped set-up, serve and eat!”

Charity

Harvest Festival Our Harvest Festival sale raised a magnificent donation of £655.06 for the Salvation Army.

Remembrance Day In Kindy, the children talked about Armistice Day and how soldiers in the wars are remembered. They learnt about how the land was destroyed and how, after the fighting had stopped, poppies grew. People saw this as a sign of hope and poppies are worn today as a mark of respect. Year 3 wrote some very moving poems to commemorate Remembrance Day. Our annual Poppy Appeal raised an impressive £444.49.

The Barrow Hills Outbound Hound The Barrow Hills Outbound Hound

Crafts country house) supported by an

returned home just before half term,

illustrative garden theme representing the

much to the delight of all at Barrow

formal Gertrude Jekyll gardens and the

Hills. A huge thank you must go to the

33-acre estate and grounds.

BHCC for this, their first purchase of the

Art Scholars were responsible for painting

year. The funds raised by this Haslemere

the hound and designing the landscape

Community Arts project will go to a

style greenery for the rest of the School

variety of local charities.

to colour, which was then attached to

The hound is a collaboration between all

the hound. Years 7 and 8 created the

children in the school from Nursery right

buildings and logos to indicate the various

through to Year 8; a collaged homage to

school departments.

the estate which surrounds the school.

Thank you to Mrs Hatcher for leading the

The central focus of the canine fiberglass

project and for coming up with the idea

masterpiece is a depiction of Great Roke,

that the hound should sit by the school

the main school building (an Arts and

front door as our watchdog!

Christmas Decorating Workshop It was a day of festive fun when children

decoration, which could be gifted to

experiences for all who take part. All

throughout the school took part in one

friends and family.

activities are geared towards developing

of their favourite annual events – a Christmas Decorating Workshop on Friday 29th November.

The children also made colourful paper chains to decorate the Refectory and Christmas tree. As always, we are very

Organised by BHCC, the Christmas

grateful to the willing group of parents who

workshop provided an opportunity for the

volunteered their time to help festoon the

children to decorate ceramic gingerbread

school with the handmade paper chains.

men, which were then sent off to be fired. The artistic masterpieces were returned, beautifully gift wrapped in time for the annual festivities. Every decoration was unique, enabling each child to create an unusual bespoke Christmas

Cris Martin St Valery, Chair of BHCC, said, “The children always look forward to this particular event which has become a firm favourite. Not only does it raise valuable funds, it also creates memorable

the pupil profile attribute of generosity as well as encouraging compassion towards others. The workshop helped to instil those traits as well as strengthen the school’s community spirit.” The Christmas Decorating Workshop raised £342. A huge thank you to Tiggy Trounce and all the parent volunteers. We are also pleased to report, the final total for the charity cards was £614, thank you again to Mel Harris for organising.

Charity

Lent Appeal 2020

Bonﬁre Night

Following the very successful appeal in 2019, the Barrow Hills 2020 Lent Appeal again supported the UK based grassroots charity ‘Change 1’s Life’. The charity aims to assist people in SubSaharan Africa who are victims of poverty, natural disaster or catastrophe. Change 1’s Life has children at the heart of its work and helps to supply food, clean water, clothes, medical aid and education. This year, the Barrow Hills appeal supported the charity’s School Building Project. Change 1’s Life will be transforming shipping containers into solar powered classrooms and eventually a whole sustainable school with all the infrastructure necessary for children to learn and play. The primary focus of the Barrow Hills Lent Appeal was to collect classroom items for the children to use in their new school. These included colouring pens and pencils, writing pencils, rubbers, notebooks and exercise books, age

Years 3 and 4 took part in a five-mile ‘awareness walk’ cross country to partner school King Edward’s Witley and back again to Barrow Hills, with children enjoying hot chocolate and cake at the halfway point! Middle-Prep had an opportunity to build

What a wonderful night we had for

life skills, while supporting the Lent Appeal.

our Bonfire and Firework display. Nearly

They headed to Godalming on the train for

400 people attended to see our expertly

an afternoon of hunting through charity

built bonfire burn and see the three

shops, choosing items they thoought would

superb ‘Guys’ go up in smoke. We were

be great for the school development project.

then treated to a spectacular firework

Fun was had by all and it was excellent to

display with the added bonus of an

see the diverse range of purchases, from

encore from The Chandler School! It

stationery, rugby balls and educational board

just goes to show what a strong and

games to a microscope and telescope.

vibrant community we have at Barrow

Upper Prep were extremely helpful in

Hills as it would not be possible to put

sorting all the donations! Thank you to

on an event of this scale without the

everyone for their support of this year’s

support and dedication of so many

Lent Appeal.

people. A huge thank you to all the volunteers from parents to school staff -

appropriate work books, rulers, pencil cases, writing pens and calculators,

Rather than trying to raise money, all

Cake Sales and Bacon Butties

children took part in an ‘awareness event’

Hugely popular as always, the cake

trainers, football boots and even laptops.

during the week commencing 9th March to remind them of what the school was doing and why: Children in Key Stage 1 completed a variety of physical tasks, ranging from laps around the garden, to trike rides in their PE lessons.

sales raised £796.83 and bacon butties achieved £3402.93, a total of £4199.76. Huge thanks to the wonderful group of volunteers who run the stalls in all weathers. You are always a welcome sight!

you know who you are, and it is greatly appreciated. The event raised £1226.75

Trips & Visits Reception Visit Brooklands Museum On Monday 23rd September, Reception went to Brooklands Museum. This was quite an adventure as it was their first school trip. All the children were very excited and could not wait to get on the minibus. They began their morning exploring all the different cars, buses and bikes. The children particularly enjoyed a chance to sit in the racing car. Mrs Wilson relished the opportunity to go in Lewis Hamilton’s car from the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix! After lunch, the children enjoyed a workshop where they were able to go on a range of different aeroplanes, including a cargo plane and the Concorde. It was a fantastic day and on the way home there were some very sleepy children! Thank you to Mrs Triska and Mrs Wilson for accompanying the trip.

Reception Trip to Wellington Country Park On Friday 13th March, Reception children were very excited to visit Wellington Country Park. There was lots of excitement over which minibus we were going on and lots of “are we nearly there yet?” On arrival, we started with our pond dipping session and we were the first class to ever find a fish! We then moved to the train ride and feeding the animals (goats, horses and sheep). After lunch we went to visit the dinosaurs. They were very big and the children taught me, Mrs Wilson and Mrs Triska their names. We had such a fantastic day and the children were all brilliantly behaved. Mrs Livingston

Trips and Visits

Year 1 Trip to the Guildford Museum On Wednesday 12th February, Year 1 visited the Toy Room and School Room linked to The Guildford Museum. The children spent the morning learning about Victorian toys. They sorted old and new toys, played with Victorian toys and looked at the materials used to make them. They sang traditional Victorian rhymes and wore Victorian clothes. They then visited the School Room upstairs and sat at traditional desks, boys on one side, girls on the other. They made a hat and wrote on slate boards. The children behaved beautifully. They answered questions with great enthusiasm and showed fantastic topic knowledge. They were so well behaved and we were so proud of them all. Thank you so much to Lexi’s mum for helping on the day.

Pre-Prep Perform! In October, ‘Perform’ visited Pre-Prep. With a mixture of energetic games, catchy songs and funky dances based on the theme ‘Knights of the Round Table’, the children had an amazing, magical experience. They loved the opportunity to use their imagination and experience drama based team work.

Year 2 Tudors Year 2 had a wonderful week as part of their topic of the Tudors. On Tuesday 26th November, the children excitedly boarded the coach to take them to Portsmouth Historic Dockyards, the home of the Mary Rose. The day began with a workshop, the children learned about the different roles on board ship in Tudor times and also the big differences between how the rich and poor lived at sea. There were no women on board! Following their much anticipated packed lunch, the children returned to the purpose built Mary Rose Museum that houses the ship’s remains. Through the ship’s artefacts and interactive displays the children were able to experience the Tudor story. As they made their way back to the coach, there were definitely a few tired legs, but a fantastic day was had by all. Tudor times did not stop there however, as Thursday was ‘Tudor Feast Day’ for Year 2. Morning registration was full of excited children as they admired each other’s costumes. During the morning, the children joyfully created their Tudor houses and then enjoyed a real Tudor feast for lunch, complete with chicken drumsticks and rustic bread. The children rounded off their day making scented Tudor pomanders to take home.

Friday bought the Christmas workshop hosted by the BHCC - this week could not have been any more exciting! Thank you to Mrs Kilgannon, Mrs Hawkins and Mrs Platt. Year 2’s Mary Rose Memories We went to a workshop and tried on Tudor clothes. Some were itchy and some were smooth. Mateo We went on the coach and I sat next to Bea and we played an animal game and we played for a long time and it took a long time to get there. Delilah We went to the Mary Rose Museum and saw the wreck of the Mary Rose. Beatrice We got to try on the rich clothes and poor clothes. Thomas B We went to the museum and tried on some clothes. Ellis We went on the coach to Mary Rose Museum. We went to try on Tudor clothes. Maxime We went to a workshop and looked at five hundred year old Tudor things. We tried on Tudor clothes which were poor clothes and rich clothes. Edward We went to look at the old things that were on the Mary Rose. Laura We went to sort out the Tudor items and tried on Tudor clothes. Ethan K

We tried on Tudor clothes. Kit We had lunch and I had two sandwiches. Thomas N We got into partners and went on the coach. My partner was TB but he went to sleep. Anthony We went to a workshop and Clare told us some good facts. Then we put on poor and rich clothes. We went on a coach it was big. George We walked to the Mary Rose. We saw two ships. We saw some Tudor objects. Alec We went to the museum and I saw a skull. Ethan S I saw the Mary Rose. I went on a coach and a person told us some facts. Then we had lunch and it was yummy. And then it was time to go home. Elliot We went to the coach and I sat next to Bea and Delilah and then we went and we got to try on some Tudor clothes. Rosie

Trips and Visits

Zoolab On Friday 28th February, Pre-Prep had an exciting day. They had some visitors of the exotic animal form. They had a corn snake, a tree frog, an African millipede, a hissing cockroach, a dumbo rat and an African giant snail join Barrow Hills for the day. The children could not wait to meet the exotic animals. They took part in an age appropriate session handling the animals. They were all fascinated by all the different facts about them and everyone was very brave with the snake particularly. Thank you to Abbie Peterson from Zoolab for a fantastic day.

scared he forces air out through the holes to make a hissing sound like a snake, so that mice (which like to eat cockroaches) are frightened away. 3. Maura the giant African millipede

Shelley had four things poking out of her face which are tentacles! The top two are her eyes - she can’t see very well so she has two noses at the bottom to feel her way around. The shell is her home and her protection.

There are three things that define reptiles: scaly skin, laying eggs and being coldblooded. The children met Sidney - a corn snake who comes from America. They were able to stroke him down his back in the same direction as his scales. Sidney has 450 bones in his body - we’ve only got 206 bones. What do you think he’s doing when he’s hissing? He is sniffing.

FUN FACTS! 1. Shelley the African land snail

5. Sidney the corn snake

She has 272 legs. She has two antennae poking out of the top of her head - she can’t see very well either on the rainforest floor. When she was put on the floor we saw how slowly she moves - her legs aren’t built for speed. When she’s scared she curls up into a spiral; she looks like poop and covers her body in a smelly liquid to stop other animals wanting to eat her.

She has 10,000 teeth (more than a great white shark!) and they’re all on her tongue. Teeth are shaped like hooks. Her favourite food in the whole world is cucumber. Whatever she eats, her poop is the same colour - if she were to eat something rainbow coloured, this still applies!

Sidney liked being on the floor so he could wiggle. Where does he live? In a cornfield. Farmers like having snakes in the field, because they eat the mice that eat the corn. He opens his mouth to three times the size of his own head and swallows whole. If we could do that, we could swallow a watermelon whole. He eats once a week, on Fridays! He could go six months without eating.

6. Peanut the dumbo rat Peanut is only five months old and her hearing is twenty times as sensitive as ours. ‘Dumbo’ rats are names as they have ears like the well known elephant.

2. Charlie the Madagascan hissing cockroach

4. Claire the white tree frog

Charlie can hold his breath underwater for 45 minutes. He can run so fast he can run through fire and if he was put in the freezer he could survive for two years. Charlie can eat everything we can eat and lots of other things we can’t eat - soap, carpet, smelly socks, paint, glue... The main thing he likes to eat is bat excrement.

The white tree frog was discovered by Dr Henry White who named her after himself. The children couldn’t hold her because she breathes in a funny way - through her skin. When Abbie got her out of her tank this morning she was brown. She can change colour to blend in to her environment. She can turn green to camouflage herself among leaves; brown on the wood.

He’s called ‘hissing’ because he doesn’t breathe through his nose and mouth like we do; he has holes (spiracles) down his back and breathes through them. If he’s

She blinks her food into her stomach her eyes disappear into her stomach and pushes the food down into her stomach.

Peanut has still got her baby fur; she is lovely and soft. Peanut likes to stay awake at night, she is ‘nocturnal’. She has big eyes for seeing, big ears for hearing and whiskers. She uses her whiskers to feel her way around and uses her tail to cool herself down and to balance. She can even wrap it around things. Her species are classified as the seventh most intelligent animals on the planet - she could do every trick a dog could do (sit, fetch, come to her name). Rats like to have friends and can’t be kept on their own; they would get too sad.

Year 3 go back in time to Butser Ancient Farm On Friday 22nd November, Year 3 enjoyed an exciting trip to Butser Ancient Farm. The children gathered around a huge open, albeit pretty smoky fire, inside a very impressive Roman house. Sitting on fur rugs, the children listened intently to Eleanor, our leader for the day. They learned about life in ancient times, including the building of houses and considered if they would prefer living in a Celtic round house or a Roman construction. Opportunities to experience life as a Roman were in abundance. From constructing wattle fencing with strips of wood strategically woven and stacked on top of each other, to jewellery making of rings and bracelets. The children became archaeologists as they carefully used small trowels to excavate part of an ancient site revealing a spur, nails, mosaic, pottery and various metal objects. The children were quick to remember that these metal objects were made of iron. As Year 2 walked through the ancient site they noted plants and animals around the settlement. Do you think it would have been fun to live in those times? We wonder... Mrs Miles and Mrs Peek

Carols at The Clockhouse Year 3 had a wonderful time singing Christmas carols at The Clockhouse. They made Christmas cards and handed them out afterwards to the elderly whilst chatting to them. It was wonderful to see the young and the ‘not so young’ all having a lovely time together. Mrs Peek and Mrs Miles were extremely proud of their behaviour and thought they all sang like angels!

Trips and Visits

Junior Prep Head to Twickenham It was a chilly Thursday morning as Junior Prep headed to Twickenham Stadium to watch the men’s and women’s teams from Oxford and Cambridge Universities go head to head in the annual Varsity Match. The weather was wet and the playing conditions were tough but the Barrow Hills crew stayed warm and dry under the shelter to

Year 3 Visit the Natural History Museum If you happened to be in the bowels of London’s Natural

watch the ladies game first before exploring the museum. The children had great fun reading the facts, as well as testing and playing on the tactile displays where they measured their speed, agility and reactions, along with power and strength. The men’s match was very exciting, even though there were many handling errors due to the weather.

History Museum

The children were amazing, very well behaved and hopefully

on a chilly February

enjoyed the experience of visiting a sporting stadium, but the

morning you may

home of England rugby.

have been startled

Many thanks to all the teachers who came along to help and to

to spot 24 Barrow

Mr Hatcher for organising.

Hills Year 3 children acting as budding palaeontologists for the day. Excitedly participating in the uncovering of hidden treasures beneath the soil, the children carefully brushed away the layers to reveal what lay beneath... We were incredibly proud of these fabulous ambassadors for the school. The Year 3 children were highly motivated, focused and superbly mannered. Congratulations to you all. Mrs Peek and Mrs Miles

Year 4 Ecology Trip On an autumnal October morning, Year 4 enjoyed pond dipping and walking in the Witley woodland on a bug hunt. The squeals of delight could be heard back at school, as the children found, amongst other things, slug eggs, earwigs and centipedes, water boatmen, snails and dragonfly nymphs. It definitely sorted those who were brave enough to use their fingers and those who preferred a stick to collect the creatures and put them in their magnifying pots!

Historical Haslemere On Wednesday 13th November, Year

Children from 4G provided a recount of the trip.

4 headed to historical Haslemere. The first part of their trip included a visit to the Victorian town well, the original Haslemere police station, the infamous Town House, as well as the green Penfold post box. The children then attended a workshop at the Haslemere Museum, where they were shown how Haslemere had developed through the ages, as well as having the opportunity to explore the incredible museum artefacts.

“During our museum visit we learnt that Haslemere got its name because the mere was surrounded by hazel trees.” Alfred “Next we visited the town well, threw a coin in and made a wish. We read that a lady called Hannah Oakford delivered the water to the whole of Haslemere.” Gus “We discovered that parts of the Tudor Cottage were over 600 years old. We knew it was from the Tudor period as there were beams and small windows.” Max

Bubbleologist! Maxwell the bubbleologist specialises in all things bubbles! He sparked joy and curiosity in our children when he visited Barrow Hills School. The premise of the workshop was that all bubbles will pop and that failure is never a problem, it is just an opportunity to regroup, take your time and have another go. He even managed to put Mr Oldroyd into a giant bubble! Some of the techniques discovered by Years 5 and 6 included blowing joint bubbles and creating bubbles from their hands. The children also attempted more complex tasks and constructions such as bubble ladders, concentric bubbles and model solar systems. Through the demonstrations and workshops Maxwell shared his bubble secrets and knowledge, building the children’s curiosity. In particular, they were fascinated to find out that they were playing, creating and bouncing bubbles even though the film is thinner than the width of a human hair. Thank you to Maxwell and to Mr Andrade for arranging such a joyful event!

“The Penfold post box we learnt was representative of Victorian post boxes, which were all painted green. They changed to red because the postman couldn’t see them in the dark! They are decorative and hexagonal in shape with the letters VR standing for Victoria Regina.” Cleo “We learnt that during the building of the railway in the 1850s, there were riots and that one policeman was killed and one was badly injured.” Hamish

Trips and Visits

Middle Prep Army Workshop Old Barrow Hillian and former gap student Will Kriehn returned to school in early March. Now an officer in the army, Will led a day of workshops for Years 5 and 6. After an assembly, which outlined the opportunities the army has to offer, children were able to examine some of the equipment used by the British Army. They particularly enjoyed learning about and trying on the hazmat suit. Dressed in their camouflage themed mufti, the children

Science Lecture On Thursday 14th November, we travelled across town to King Edward’s, for a science lecture from Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He talked about all of his constructions from the Clifton Suspension Bridge all the way to the Thames Tunnel that runs under the River Thames (surprisingly!). Barnaby (7G) On Thursday 14th November, Year 7 went to King Edward’s Witley for a science lecture, delivered by a man disguised as Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He was very interesting, I learned that he was a British civil engineer and he invented the Great Western Railway. He was funny and made me and my friends laugh. At the end of the lecture he sung a song by himself with no background music. He also talked about how he constructed tunnels, ships and bridges. NJ (7G)

then learnt how to camouflage themselves (with varying degrees of success) and set up a basha. Those groups who completed it with ease then attempted the task blindfolded, imaging how difficult this might be to complete at night. The children then practised some basic firing manoeuvres and finished the day with drills followed by a tactical game of ‘capture the flag’ when they put some of the theoretical skills into practice.

It was a fantastic day, thank you to Mr Kriehn for his time and to Mr Andrade for organising.

Geography Fieldwork On Tuesday 8th October, Year 8 travelled to Bell Vale Lane in Haslemere and Radford Park in Liphook to complete their required geography fieldwork for Common Entrance. They began by travelling to the river sites to conduct the investigation, and then returned to school to complete their write up. The fieldwork constituted 20% of their final mark.

Upper Prep Campout The autumn term began for Upper Prep with a fun filled Friday evening camp out at Forest School headquarters. The first challenge was building the tents, followed by forest school games. An evening of fun and laughter culminated in sausages cooked on the fire and toasted marshmallows for pudding. This was a joyful way to start the term with great teamwork and lots of smiling faces. Thank you to Mr Crisell and Mr Dean for organising such a successful event and Mr Conway and Mrs Burnett for camping out too!

Rugby Masterclass Our Prep rugby players were delighted to meet Old Barrow Hillian and England sevens player, James Cordy-Redden when he came to Barrow Hills for a rugby masterclass this week. His career has seen him move from Surrey to the West of England and play for Cross Keys. The versatile back has appeared at centre, wing and fullback for the Trailfinders. The boys had a memorable and inspiring lesson on counter attacking. James spent some time talking about kicking, passing and decision making. The children then took part in a range of drills that put these skills into practice. Mr Conway said, “This was a fantastic opportunity for the boys to be able to hear from a player with James’ experience. The children enjoyed hearing him talk about his career when

he represented the England sevens, the Great Britain Students sevens and about how he’s helping Ealing push for promotion into the premiership. I would like to thank James for sharing his time and inspiring the next future Barrow Hills rugby stars.”

Trips and Visits

Wisley Trips On Tuesday 1st October, Years 5 and 8 spent an exciting day at RHS Garden Wisley. The children climbed trees, learnt about the crisis that faces bananas, made (and used!) clinometers and created Andy Goldsworthy style sculptures. It was back to Wisley on Thursday for Mr Andrade as Year 6 enjoyed their day out. Activities included wicker weaving, making clinometers and being an RHS judge for the afternoon. Tree Climbing by James H (8G) On Tuesday 1st October, Years 5 and Year 8 went on a school trip to RHS Wisley Gardens. One of the events we did was tree climbing. The tree we climbed was called a sweetgum tree (also known as the liquidambar tree). The tree was roughly 20 metres high and we climbed about 17 metres of it. Everybody did really well at least getting in the harness and climbing a bit of the tree. Some people even made it to the top including Alexander (8G), Isobel (8G), Edward (5G), Heidi (5G) and many others. Whilst we were climbing, it was pouring down with rain making the branches very slippery and hard to climb. This meant we had to really grip on tightly to make sure we didn’t fall off. Andy Goldsworthy Sculptures by James D (8G) As our last activity after an exciting day at Wisley, the Year 8’s challenged the Year 5’s to a sculpture building competition. We had half an hour to build our sculptures out of only things we found on the floor in the arboretum, based on the ideas of Andy Goldsworthy. There was a wide range of sculptures ranging from leaf pictures to a mud hedgehog and even a fire made of sticks and red leaves. Bananas face extinction... by Sascha (8G) There once was a time when there was a banana that tasted even better than they do now, but why did we stop eating those? First of all let me tell you this, banana trees are clones of another banana tree that grows from its roots. Us humans found a perfect tree which grew delicious bananas, so we started to clone this tree and sell its fruit. One downside to cloning a specific tree is that they will all be vulnerable to the same diseases. This is how

the most delicious bananas became extinct from the world! So we resorted to a less tastier banana which is the ones we eat now, the cavendish banana. But wait, if this is a clone, that means that there is a chance that they could become extinct. Yes and that is exactly what is happening now because of the panama disease. This disease originated in Panama (in central America) and it is capable of wiping out the cavendish banana, it has wiped out all of the population of banana trees in Asia, so far. The majority of commercial banana trees are in South America and the disease has just arrived in Columbia (country in South America) but they are desperately trying to prevent it, so don’t worry. They will be safe, Hopefully...

Emerging Athletes Programme On Monday 18th November, the Barrow Hills and King Edward’s sports scholars and games captains headed to the Surrey High Performance Institute at Surrey Sports Park as part of their Emerging Athletes programme. The day consisted of various anatomy and physiology lectures and fitness testing. A huge well done to James D (8G) who volunteered for the Vo2 Max test and achieved some very impressive scores, pushing himself to his absolute limit. A fun morning was had by all.

Prep to the Panto! “Oh no they didn’t!” “Oh yes they did!” The fantastic Prep staff took nearly 130 children to see ‘Aladdin’ at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking. With Christmas jumpers and festive headgear, the atmosphere was certainly jolly! “Oh yes it was!” “On the 10th of December the whole Barrow Hills Prep department left school at 11:45 am on three coaches to go to The New Victoria Theatre in Woking. The panto was upbeat and comical, everyone was dancing and singing and not even the staff could be stopped when the kangaroo song came on. It was great to see them out of their seats hopping like marsupials. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we were all now fully in

the Christmas spirit of the season. Thank you Mr Andrade for organising the trip, it was fantastic.” Nicholas (8G)

BH@Home BH@Home During BH@Home it became apparent that our Pupil Profile actually applies to both children and staff. The team had to react quickly, yet decisively and with an understanding that everybody was experiencing a completely unique situation in very personal ways. Barrow Hills came through this time stronger, more resilient and better prepared (for greater things) having followed the characteristics of the Profile. The community was:

Compassionate towards others in the School and in the wider world;

Curious about exploring new possibilities and developing new strategies;

A full programme of remote learning was swiftly in place as lockdown loomed, the photos are just a handful of examples of the children embracing this new way of learning. They sung along with the music department, they ran, hopped, skipped, jumped and cycled miles with Mrs Burnett, they practised their techniques

Brave when meeting the new challenges presented; Scholarly in the way that we learnt and in developing our love of learning in many new mediums;

Generous of spirit, and in sharing our time and our gifts; Joyful in our appreciation of our families, our friendships, our School and the world; Truthful and true to ourselves in offering and accepting support from one another; Responsible in what we have said and in what we have done.

with the sports department, they had a ball with Madame Early cooking, singing and telling jokes in French. Geography@ Home encompassed ant theme parks, Science@Home saw the Wacky Scientist Competition. English and drama remotely included creative writing and talent shows with Mrs Mason, Mrs Campbell-John and Mrs Goedkoop. Forest School@Home continued under the guidance of Mrs Wilson and weekly activities ranged from yoga, to litter picking, from cookery to first aid qualifications. Year 8 embraced a Toilet Roll Challenge and the key worker children enjoyed celebrating VE Day at school. This is far from an exhaustive list but demonstrates the creativity and forward thinking shown across the year groups from Nursery to Year 8 and all subjects as teaching and learning continued during this time.

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BHArt@Home What a year it has been for art at Barrow Hills. We are extremely proud of our Year 5, 6, 7 and 8 children who entered the King Edward’s Spring Art Show. Congratulations to Tilly (7G) who came 3rd in her category. She entered a mixed media piece titled ‘Fight or Flight’ which featured two atmospheric and action packed horses. The Kindness and Community Art Project was established in May, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced our school into lockdown. It was a new initiative that aimed to use and take advantage of art’s healing powers. The project provided an opportunity for children from both Barrow Hills and King Edward’s Witley to unite through the medium of art, generating a sense of connection and community.

As part of their artwork during the summer term, children were asked to draw a portrait of their ‘helper’ or hero’. They obviously value their teachers, as some of the likenesses were uncanny! The Art Scholars Google Classroom page buzzed with activity throughout lockdown. Special thanks to Tilly (7G), Jessica (7G), Fraser (8G), NJ (7G), Sascha (8G), Isobel (8G), Heidi (5G) and Phoebe (7G) for entering some stunning extra-curricular artworks. These really did brighten lockdown for Barrow Hills. Miss Edwards

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Sport in Lockdown The Sports Department created a Lockdown Challenge for all of our children in Nursery through to Year 8. What was the challenge? Children had to complete four sporting activities a week and the distance or number of throws differed depending on age group. Children could achieve bronze, silver or gold in each activity. Monday - go for a walk Tuesday - throw and catch a ball Wednesday - bike ride Thursday - circuits Friday - run In order for Year 8 to achieve gold they needed to walk 6km, throw a ball over 25m (50 times), cycle 13km, complete four sets of circuits and run 6km. They had to do this every week for three weeks. The teachers were overwhelmed with the response and 109 of our children achieved a medal. Well done!

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Lockdown Writing When we went into Lockdown I felt very happy that

Lockdown definitely came as a surprise. I was not expecting

we had an extra week off school but then I felt scared

it. I had no idea at all what we were going to do and I

about school, friends and family. The global pandemic

was quite nervous. I was also scared that the world would

of COVID19 was spreading around the world and people

now have to quarantine. I didn’t know how we were going

became more nervous about death rates and trying to make

to learn. Then I was shown Google classroom. It seemed

supermarkets safe for people to shop for food. I was very

confusing at first but after my first lesson I understood. I felt

sad and lonely in Lockdown because I could not see anyone

quite lonely and not being able to see my friends was tough

and do anything with family and go to places because they

but it was lovely to meet them online or send them an email.

were all closed.

I felt quite stuck as I was used to doing things freely but now

A few weeks into Lockdown it became clear that it was going to be a long space of time doing nothing and being cautious about keeping safe. Also, the streets were very

everything was different and restricted with only one hour of exercise and only being able to leave to go and shop for food in the supermarket.

quiet and you could hear all of the birds singing loudly. I

After a few weeks in quarantine I had got the hand of home

loved going to the supermarket. It made me happy being

learning and the new rules but I still felt a bit bored and

able to see people’s faces and go out of my house for the

trapped. To entertain myself, I played board games and baked

first time in a long time.

cakes. We also enjoyed family movie nights and played party

I found online learning fun as it was good to try something new, but it was also sad because you could only see your friends on a screen. At the time, I did not have a phone so I could not communicate with my friends and family. To keep busy, I would go on long cycle rides and cook lots of yummy treats and meals. My two favourite meals that I cooked were the pizzas that I made for DT and my white bread rolls I made with my granny over facetime. I also loved doing arts

games which gave us something to look forward to in the week. I couldn’t see my family and grandparents so it was fun to facetime them to catch up and to write them letters which they really seemed to like. We saved our exercise until the evening and we went on a walk at night so we could see the sun set over the forest. It was quiet and calm. It felt strange in the supermarket, not being able to just walk in normally and having to do things in a certain way.

and crafts such as writing poems and decorating them. I also

When Lockdown started to ease and everything was thinking

made coasters for family and friends.

of opening, it was great driving past my favourite shops and

I felt very happy when Lockdown started to ease because I could start to see my family for the first time in two months. I was very happy that I could go back to school and see my friends again. At first going back to school was quite strange because we all had to wash our hands and chromebooks a lot more than usual and we had to stay two metres apart at all times. I had a lot of fun being back with my friends. Rosie (6R)

seeing opening dates posted on the windows. Then I heard school was opening. I was excited and happy to see the school and my friends but I was nervous and confused as to how it would work. So many ideas and questions were whizzing through my head! It was exciting. I loved reading all the rules and talking to my friends about it. When the day arrived, I couldn’t wait to get there and I got ready super fast. I was very happy that this pandemic was hopefully nearly over… Overall, it was a relief to be back at school. I managed to get through Lockdown and I did not want to go through that again. Spending time with my family and friends got me through this tricky time. Matilda (6G)

The Library Following the fantastic refurbishment of the Prep Library during summer 2019, funded by the BHCC, the school has been making great progress and use of the space ever since. During the first half of the autumn term, the school took on a dedicated parttime librarian, Mrs Emmett. This enabled there to be enough resource for all of the fiction books to be alphabeticalised and put back onto the shelves, with a number of duplicates and some of the more dated or damaged titles sent to be recycled. There are over 3,000 fiction titles in the Prep Library alone and these have all now

been catalogued onto an electronic library system as well, making it easier to find books, log them in and out, and assist children to find specific books. A number of other initiatives designed to assist the children in making better use of the library fiction space have also been implemented, with some key shelf symbols added to denote specific genres of books like witches and wizards, football and animals, and many more. In addition, there are two new giant bespoke display boards that are now used to celebrate books and events and keep the children informed and entertained.

Once all the fiction was in good order, a start was made on the non-fiction area. The children have a huge number of books at their disposal, shelved in a short form of the Dewey system categories to assist in finding specific topics, and these now fill the whole of the second side of the library. This process has also allowed the pinpointing of areas that need to be expanded, such as The Environment and Wellbeing sectors. The successful Usborne book sale in March assisted greatly and over £600 of free books were chosen to spread around the libraries in the school, and to fill some gaps in our library categories. Mrs Emmett has created a Library Amazon Wishlist that parents may access at any time if they are keen to donate to the library.

Lunch time clubs Three times a week, the Prep library is open to children from Years 3 to 8 to come up after lunch and spend quality time amongst the books – this has created some great collaboration opportunities. The library space is available purely for fun pursuits, just as if the children are still in the playground; no homework to be done as there is a lunchtime opportunity for that elsewhere! The idea is that children who prefer indoor activities such as reading, playing board and card games, doing jigsaw puzzles or colouring and drawing have a comfortable, welcoming place to go.

The Library

BHCC

Literary Events

2012, I then became the Librarian about a year ago. This is my dream job.

The BHCC have again this year been very supportive of the library and agreed to fulfil two wishlist proposals made by Mrs Emmett. Firstly, they funded the purchase of a number of educational jigsaw puzzles including a map of the local area and the school, as well as maps of the world and several others. There is always a jigsaw underway on the main table, laid out on the new rollaway jigsaw mat, available for any passing child or teacher to add to whenever they wish. Completed so far have been: the Human Body, the Solar System, the Periodic Table and Flags of the World.

The spectacular new library environment also provided a great base for some literary based celebratory events such as World Reading Aloud Day and World Book Week. The series of events this year included the ‘Tiger Who Came to Tea’ party for the Pre-Prep children, a literary game of Cleudo finding clues around the school and a visit from local children’s author, Ally Sherrick, who spoke to all the Prep children and signed books too.

There is nothing bad about my job but the worst part of being a librarian at Barrow Hills is Monday mornings in winter when it is very cold in the Library! However, the best part is during the lunch time sessions when lots of children are in the library having fun, reading and playing board games together.”

The second request for funding made to the BHCC was for some magazine subscriptions for use both in the library and around the school, to add to the existing ‘The Week Junior’ and ‘First News’. In order to broaden the appeal, whilst supporting the curriculum in school, there are now regular copies of the ‘Aquila’, ‘Whizz Pop Bang’ and ‘Kookie’ magazines too.

How did you become a librarian and is your job tougher than it seems?

Meet our Barrow Hills Librarian “I did a course ten years ago at the Helen Arkell Centre to become a teaching assistant specialising in Special Educational Needs like dyslexia, and after being a TA in the Prep department since

If you could have dinner with any three people in history who they would be? “Maggie Thatcher because she was the greatest female leader and decision maker at her time, Anne Frank because she was a great writer and so brave and Alex Danson who is an inspirational hockey player and motivational speaker.” What is your favourite book of all time? “That is a very, very difficult question as I love reading so much. A truly good book is one that stays with you long after you have finished, so it would have to be ‘The Silver Sword’ by Ian Serrelier.” By Luke (8G)

Wellbeing at Barrow Hills In early 2020, we were delighted to launch a series of talks aimed at sharing ideas and putting the spotlight on mental and physical wellbeing. At the first event, our guest speakers were: Dr Anne-Lise Goddings, Clinical Lecturer at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and specialist in the adolescent brain discussing ‘The Mysterious Workings of the Teenage Brain’. Followed by Pippa Goedkoop BA (Hons) Dip OCR SpLD, specialist teacher and qualified assessor of learners with dyslexia/SpLDs and Head of Learning Support and Extension at Barrow Hills, ‘C’est La Vie, how to build resilience in children’. The evening was a huge success with a packed hall with a lively Q&A session following the two presentations. The second of the talks took place in March and was another fascinating evening. Dr Paola Carr-Walker BSc (Hons) MPsych (Foren) DClinPsych PgDip AFBPsS, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, and

Founder of Mental Health Now, offering consultancy and training in mental health spoke about ‘Thoughts, Feelings and Behaviours – a Psychological Approach towards Better Mental Health’. Followed by Roz Scudamore BA (Hons), qualified yoga teacher, children’s wellbeing ambassador, co-founder of ROSA Retreats and teacher of yoga and wellbeing in schools across Surrey and Hampshire on ‘Wellbeing Practices for Children - practical techniques in yoga breathing, mindfulness and raising emotional awareness’. We really have some amazing members of our school community who are willing to share their expertise with us. Many thanks to Anne-Lise Goddings, Pippa Goedkoop, Paola Coffey and Roz Scudamore and the Barrow Hills team for their professionalism and hard work. Also in January, our children took part in Parkinson’s Awareness Week with the help of the Guildford and South Surrey Branch of Parkinson’s UK. The awareness

week was organised by Niki Oldroyd who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 25. “My particular challenges with Parkinson’s are in initiating movement (usually walking) and freezing, where my brain is saying go but my legs are saying no. This causes lack of balance, lack of coordination and often falls. I am very aware that the children see this when I am around the school and may be confused and worried.” The week started in Monday Assembly, led by Mrs Oldroyd and Parkinson’s UK volunteer speaker Valerie Box. Throughout the week the children attended interactive sessions, designed to give them an understanding of the main symptoms of Parkinson’s - slowness, stiffness and tremor. As much as possible the symptoms were simulated, allowing the children a glimpse into the world of the 145,000 people in the UK who have the disease (1.2% of people with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s are under

Wellbeing the age of 50). The week culminated on Friday 24th January in a Use Your Head for Parkinson’s event to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK. Children and teachers were encouraged to donate £2 and wear something silly on their head - the more outrageous the better. From wonderful wigs to silly hats and crazy hair bands, the whole school community supported the event, raising over £500. In February, during our Mental Health Awareness week, the children experienced lessons, talks and assemblies to help them understand the many factors surrounding their own and each others’ mental and physical wellbeing. Upper Prep began their week focusing on the view ‘we all have mental health’, watching some useful clips which gave them some consistent and accessible language to talk about mental health, a better understanding of mental health self-care, as well as knowing that there were plenty of people available for support should they need it. All of Prep took part in some on-line yoga and mindfulness techniques. Year 4R then got the whole school involved during their Friday assembly! The children also learnt about guided breathing - one of the most overlooked - yet most effective - stress management tools. Simply intentionally taking a couple of deep breaths initially can help ground the mind and help to find a moment of calm. Tuesday’s form time was centred around a healthy lifestyle - both diet and staying active. One key message was that you do not have to be thin to be fit and healthy. Children were encouraged to walk or possibly gently jog around the orchard,

the field or generally around the school during lunch break.

this safe space if they need a listening ear in times of anxiety or worry.

The children enjoyed investigating their resting heart rate. Everyone took their pulse for 60 seconds - it was actually quite tricky to count! They then took part in exercise of some description in the classroom for one minute - perhaps high knees, squats, or burpees. They then took their heart rate again. There was quite a difference!

Over half term, children from Reception to Year 8 entered a competition to name the ‘safe space’. There were some amazing entries, made even more special by the fact they came from Reception to Year 8.

There were interesting discussions on what fitness/exercise actually means and how this must be combined with a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle. On Wednesday and Thursday it was time to keep their brains active and keep learning. Sudoko, crosswords, word unscramble and brain games for all ages were the order of the day. By Friday it was time for sleep! “Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person’s overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day. Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease, and increased illness duration.” During PSHE lessons throughout the week, the topics were centred around anxiety, stress worries and some tools and tips on how to try and overcome these. It was an informative and engaging week and all the children learnt some useful tips for keeping their minds and bodies healthy, as well as knowing that they are always able to find support at school. Thank you to Mrs Wallace and Mr Crisell for organising. In March, our new wellbeing room opened. Children are invited to pop into

There were seven highly commended entries: Jacob (4G), Edith (4G), James (8G), Barnaby (8G), Aria (3R), Leonor (6R), Jackson (6R). The top three were ‘The Chatterbox’, ‘The Happy Hangout’ and ‘Safe and Sound’. Then it was time for the children to vote... In joint second place was ‘The Chatterbox’ suggested by Maxx from Reception and ‘Safe and Sound’ from Autumn (3G). In first place with 98 votes was ‘The Happy Hangout’ by Imogen (3R). But there was also an entry that all the staff liked because it was such a good description for the room rather than a name. ‘A Place for You’ was entered by April (6G). Our Barrow Hills wellbeing room is named: The Happy Hangout - A Place for You.

Forest School Pre-Prep children have flourished in Forest School this year, outside in all weathers, taking inspiration from the natural world around them. At the beginning of the autumn term, they were introduced to the new Forest School area, hidden behind the Techo house. They spent time sitting around the fire circle, discussing basic safety rules and sharing knowledge of being safe in the woods. The children have played games, constructed Gruffalo traps, made a Christmas tree and decorated it, and created pieces of natural land art in the style of Andy Goldsworthy. Science was also part of outdoor classroom, in the form of two tin cans and a length of string - a tin can phone. Learning through experimentation and play and all the while developing their confidence and self-esteem. They have learnt about the seasons and the changes that each one brings to the natural world. Hibernation was the theme for November - What is it? Why do it? How do you prepare for it? Who does it?

In spring they were inspired by Robin William’s quote “Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s Party!’”, and with this lovely quote in mind, they played lots of fun games. During the colder weather, the theme of the week was shelter, one of the three necessities required for survival. The children talked about the different types of weather a shelter offers protection from, as well as the feeling of protection from harm that a shelter gives. Attributes found in our Pupil Profile are relevant to Forest School. The children explored the meaning of ‘generous’ through the story of Johnny Appleseed, a hero of American folklore, said to be a barefooted wanderer, who walked ‘West’ planting apple trees from seed across America. Prep children have also enjoyed the freedom found in Forest School. Participation encourages a unique set of skills, demonstrated in numerous different ways and they have certainly revelled in their time with Mr Dean.

Through collaboration, embracing challenge and a wonderful use of their imagination the children have been on a journey of discovery of the natural world that they look forward to every week. Mrs Wilson

Forest School

School Council School Council Reps 2019 Congratulations to our School Council reps for 2019. This year, we also had reps for Pre-Prep. Mrs Miles and Mrs Livingston worked with the children to make their inspirational ideas a reality! Your School Council reps are: Reception - Ellie (R), Leopold (R) Year 1 - Thomas (1G), Annabel (1G) Year 2 - Beatrice (2G), Thomas (2G) Year 3 - Aria (3R), Noah (3G) Year 4 - Jacob (4G), Amelie (4R) Year 5 - Joel (5R), Heidi (5G) Year 6 - Theodore (6R), Verity (6R) Year 7 - Florence (7G), Taylor (7G) Year 8 - Matilda (8G), Alexander (8G)

School Council’s Christmas Our School Council provides the children with a forum to help realise their own unique ideas and dreams. This year, the representatives organised a mini Winter Wonderland themed fun and festive event for children, parents and staff. Over a number of weeks, School Council discussed, planned and foraged in preparation to bring joy to their peers. Many aspects of our Pupil Profile were met, not least resilience in managing the preparations alongside their daily school routines. Monies donated on the afternoon will go towards being involved in ‘Wastebuster’, an environmental awareness campaign in schools, encouraging the entire community to reduce, recycle and reuse. School Council deem it a necessity toward school playing their part in sustainability. On Friday afternoon, the Council representatives came together to man tables, ensured others were having a good time, directed families to Santa’s grotto and served refreshments. The popcorn stand and hot chocolate sales were particularly successful! Congratulations to Tatum (5G), for guessing the total of sweetie bags in a jar - 26 bags - spot on! Guess the weight of the cake was won by Alexander (3R), who was correct within 0.2kgs. Enjoy! The day ended on a high with families collecting their pre-ordered Christmas tree, following our participation in the established ‘Christmas Trees for School Fundraising Scheme’. The trees were delivered to the School, making for a convenient and carbon footprint friendly purchase. School Council extend their thanks to Santa for taking time out to visit the children, to the entire team at Barrow Hills and to the King Edward’s Music Department. Finally, to all our wonderful families without whom this could not happen. Mrs Miles

Senior Prefects and Captains 2019-20 Heads of School

Isobel and James D

Forest School Captain

Isobel, Thomas, Max and Nicholas

Head of Kean

Alexander

IT Captain

Thomas

Head of Murtough

Nicholas

Sport Captains

James D, James H and Oscar

Head of McCormack

James H

Drama Captain

Oscar, Fraser and Ben

Pre-Prep Captains

Rupert, Sascha and Charlotte

Middle Prep Captain

Matilda

Art Captain

Sascha, Max and Fraser

DT Captain

Charlotte

Science Captain

Sascha

Music Captain

Alexander

Prize Day

2020 Scholarships & Awards 13+ LEAVERS’ SHIELDS

SPECIAL AWARDS

Rupert - Charterhouse Sascha - Royal Grammar School Isobel - Lord Wandsworth College James D - Royal Grammar School Thomas - St George’s Weybridge James H - Charterhouse (Sport) Oscar - Seaford College (Sport) Matilda - Prior’s Field Charlotte - Seaford College (Drama) Max - Frensham Heights Fraser - Duke of Kent Nicholas - Lancing College Alexander - Eton College Benjamin - King Edward’s Witley

Academic Progress - Matilda

11+ LEAVERS’ SHIELDS Paul - Churcher’s College Toby - Churcher’s College Sophie - Lord Wandsworth College Rosie - Prior’s Field (Sport and Exhibition for Creative Writing) Chloe - Prior’s Field (Sporting Promise) Verity - St Catherine’s Bramley Thomas - King Edward’s Witley Nathaniel - Churcher’s College Jago - Rodborough Theodore - Churcher’s College Dominic - Cranmore (Academic) Anastasia - Churcher’s College (Exhibition for Promise in Drama and Exhibition for Promise in Maths) Jack - Bedales Jackson - Rodborough Raymond - King Edward’s Witley Alexander - More House

12+ LEAVERS’ SHIELDS (PRE-AWARDED) Florence - King Edward’s Witley

Alfonso Sedati Cup (Written French) – Sascha All-Round Musician Cup - Alexander Atkins Hockey Cup - Alexander Barrow Hills Sportsman’s Cup - Oscar Beauclair Year 6 Maths Cup - Dominic Bodsworth Cup – Edith Borelli R.E. Cup - Rupert Campbell-John Drama Cup - Benjamin Clery Gardner Art Cup - Nathaniel Coopper I.T. Cup - Thomas Curtin Cricket Cup - Oscar Davies English Cup - Fraser Effort Cup for Ballet - Suzannah Enrico Medi Cup (Oral French) - Oscar Esposito Football Cup – James H Farmer Rugby Cup - Oscar Forster Year 7 Maths Cup - Barnaby Garman Art Cup - Luke Hirst Cup - Max Hobbs Sports Cup - Beatrix Hodgson-King Cup for History - James D Holford Ballet Cup - Phoebe Hutchings Year 8 Maths Cup - Alexander James Brown DT Cup - Isobel La Berliere Year 7 French Cup - Barnaby Latin Cup - Sascha MacMillan Acting Cup - Fraser Navin Cup - Max Netball Cup - Rosie Performing Arts Cup - Charlotte Pollen Chorister Cup - Charlotte Regina Caeli Cup - Nicholas

FORM PRIZES (PRE-AWARDED)

Rice Science Cup - Alexander

Effort in 3G - Suzannah Effort in 3R - Emilia Effort in 4G - Daisy-Skye Effort in 4R - Cleo Liz O’Neill Cup for Effort in Junior Prep - Edith Standen-Jewell Cup for Making a Difference - Timotheos Effort in 5G - Chloe Effort in 5R - Joel Effort in 6G - April Effort in 6R - Leonor Barrow Hills Cup for Service to the School Community - Sebastian Effort in 7G - Barnaby Marsh Cup for Service and Leadership - Taylor

St Pier Cup - Phoebe

In each Year one academic prize is awarded for 1st in exams. However, as exams did not take place, this prize was not given this year. Effort prizes are awarded according to the number of A grades achieved throughout the year.

Taylor Best Endeavour - James H Victor Ludorum – James H Wilde Hockey Trophy - James D Wyatt Humanities Cup - James D Zante Art Cup - Fraser

Roke Lane Witley Godalming Surrey GU8 5NY

01428 683639

J O R A PA R A M

info@barrowhills.org

The Chronicle 2019-20

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