IJS Yearbook 2024-2025

A Welcome from the Head

As we come to the end of another incredible year at Nottingham High Infant and Junior School, I am filled with pride and gratitude as I reflect on all that our pupils, staff, and wider school community have achieved together. This year book is a celebration of the learning, laughter, and lasting memories that have shaped our school over the past academic year.

From impressive academic achievements to heart-warming acts of kindness and teamwork, our children have truly embodied the core values of our school - Excellence, Individuality, Respect, Empathy, and Curiosity. Whether it was in the classroom, on the sports field, during school performances, or while exploring the world on school trips, our pupils embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm, curiosity, determination and a keen sense of adventure.

This year has also been a shining example of our excellent pastoral care, with every child supported to grow not just as a learner, but as a confident, compassionate, empathic individual. Our dedicated staff have worked tirelessly to create a nurturing and inspiring environment where every child can thrive and reach their full potential.

I hope you enjoy looking back through the pages of this year book and reliving some of the special moments we’ve shared. To our Year 6 pupils who are heading into Year 7 – we are proud of all you’ve accomplished and know you’ll continue to carry the spirit of the Infant and Junior School with you as you take your next steps on your educational journey.

To everyone else – we look forward to another very exciting year ahead, especially welcoming our first ever cohort of children into our Squirrels Nursery!

With warmest wishes,

Mrs Polly Bennett Head of NottinghamHigh Infant and Junior School

House Captains Update

Tonkins Balls

Rose: As House Captain of Tonkin’s, I have loved being a role model, with Henry. A, and helping the younger children. I love every House meeting where the House does fun activities together which me and Henry planned. I found it fun being a House Captain because I loved supporting my House in events and making posters to help encourage it. When they announced the new House Captains I was very surprised that I had got it and I was so grateful and happy!

Henry: As House Captain for Tonkin’s (newly named Mellers’) it was a wonderful experience for both me and my fellow Tonkin’s House Captain Rose and other House Captains. It has been a great responsibility to be at such a high status, close to the teachers at that, has allowed me to fully immerse myself in my amazing house, wearing my badge with pride, leading my fellow peers and pupils. I had a lot to live up to after my predecessors Cameron and Shaheer, who both had set an exceptionally good example and a remarkably high bar for me to reach. As I leave my role as House Captain, and the Junior School for that matter, I feel that I have done well as a House Captain and have inspired future generations of Mellers’ to come.

By Rose, C. and Henry, A.

We have enjoyed being House Captains as it was a great responsibility. Our first job was to run a maths stall where we made tessellation artwork and ran a competition, we had lots of winners! We are thoroughly looking forward to Sports Day as we can cheer on our house and hopefully lift the trophy. Being House Captain has been one of the most incredible opportunities as we really felt looked up to and appreciated. Planning each House meeting with care and watching the rest of our House enjoy our activities has been one of the best feelings ever! We have both learnt a lot about confidence and public speaking, as well as the importance of empathy. Being made House Captain is such an honour and a privilege, so we must thank everyone who thought of us for the job. Leading Ball’s house to victory has been our highlight of the year!

By Amrit, J. and Luca, C.

House Captains Update

Treases Hardys

Being a House Captain is a very unique status. Our first ever job as a House Captain was to make repeated patterns using pupils, which was very exciting, and we had a lot of fun. We shared some laughs and cheers for the pupils participating. It was very well organised thanks to the amazing planning in the House Captain meetings. We also got to lead House Meetings where we do fun activities. Overall being a House Captain has been the highlight of my Junior School years, and we can’t thank the people enough who helped us get to this point in our Junior School life.

By Max, M. and Enzo, L.

Being House Captains of Hardy’s has been such an exciting experience for both of us. One of our biggest achievements so far was leading our first House Captain meeting. It was a huge moment—getting everyone together, setting goals, and making sure our House is ready for the challenges ahead. It really made us feel like true leaders, knowing that we’re helping to bring Hardy’s together as a strong team.

By Aryaman, G. and Seher, S.

House Captain Afternoon Tea

A couple of months ago we had a really cool afternoon tea with the House Captains to celebrate the end of our captaincy. After lunch, all the House Captains were told to meet in the Yoto Zone with the games we had all brought in to play at the afternoon tea. When everyone had gathered, we went down to the staffroom and saw what the teachers had done for us. In the meeting room the teachers had set out some cakes and sandwiches as well as decorated the whole room. It looked BRILLIANT! We sat down and after eating a lot of food (and scones) we got out our games and started playing. We played a fun Tetris game where you had to take over the other teams’ territories. The next thing we played was this game where you had to guess the country from a few clues (it was REALLY hard). When the afternoon ended, we all didn't want to go back- we had had such a fun time!

Lovell House Afternoon Tea Reward

During the Summer term, Mrs Bennett and Mrs Cochrane hosted the first Afternoon Tea Reward Afternoon at Lovell House. Two children from each class were invited. The children who attended were picked for being exceptional role models, at all times, to both their peers within class and also in the wider school environment. Throughout the term, they demonstrated excellent manners, behaviour and a super attitude in all areas of school life. The children were treated to a selection of cakes and juice whilst listening to music, getting to know each other, some dancing and then the afternoon ended with a story. A brilliant afternoon was had by all.

It was my favourite day of school, I loved eating biscuits with the other children and Mrs Bennett but she didn’t eat any cake!’

Nyana, RB

I enjoyed it when Mrs Bennett read a story to us

Timmy, 2M

I was really happy and excited to be chosen. The food we had was cakes, cookies and flapjack. I loved dancing at the end. I told my mum and dad all about it when I got home!

Lily, 1S

I was so, so excited to get the Afternoon Tea Award. I told my mum straight away and she said I can choose a prize! We had drinks, snacks and music to dance to. I loved chatting with Zubin and Eleanor.

Vince, 1S

I loved everything and Mrs Bennett gave us some treats because we were good models

Tamim, RN I felt special and there was special biscuits and juice. I loved the juice.

Abdulmujeeb, RB

Pupil Parliament

This year, I was voted by my class to be in the Pupil Parliament, and I felt really proud! I went to meetings with other pupils to share ideas and help make our school better. After each meeting, I told my class what we talked about. We helped improve school clubs and came up with fun House competition ideas. I helped plan the Egg-stravaganza competition too, which was amazing! We also got new playground equipment like cricket bats and crates for Sports Day. It was exciting to be part of making changes, and I’m happy I got to represent my class!

Reception September 2024

Charity Committee

This year the Junior School Charity Committee have been supporting local charity Himmah. Himmah do amazing work in our local community tackling food and educational inequalities. The elected class representatives have worked hard on a number of projects to both raise money and collect items that are needed. We started the year with a huge harvest collection - thanks to the kind donations of our school community we filled an entire van with food and other essential items. We then launched our ‘Share the Warmth’ campaign to donate winter coats. In the Spring the Charity Committee organised our end of term Spring Fair – a huge variety of fun games and challenges were enjoyed by all. The money raised over the course of the year was over £1000 – thank you to everyone who has helped raise funds for a very worthy cause.

Day Trips and Residentials

Year 1 Brackenhurst

Year 1 had a fabulous trip to Brackenhurst. They started by acting out the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. They took a woodland walk and with breaks to take in the scenery and carry on with the story. They spotted lots of cows and some sheep, luckily no Trolls were spotted when they moved onto the story of

The Three Billy Goats Gruff. They took part in three activities before lunch, magic bean planting, a treasure hunt and some wild art. After a lunch break, they further explored the Brackenhurst campus spotting some more animals and finally making a story stick. It was a wonderful day.

Y2 Green’s Windmill Trip

“Ilovedgrindingthegrainin thewindmill”

Leo, F.

“I really enjoyed making our own break and going inside a real working windmill” Indiana, Y

To launch our Science topic on ‘Materials’, Year 2 visited Green’s Windmill in Sneinton. The children became bakers for the morning, making their own dough from scratch, which was then baked and taken home to enjoy. They were treated to an informative tour of the windmill by the resident miller, who explained how flour is made using traditional methods. The visit also included time in the Science Centre, where the children carried out a range of exciting experiments and investigations. It was a brilliant, interactive learning experience that everyone thoroughly enjoyed!

EYFS Trip to White Post Farm

Our EYFS trip to White Post Farm was a fantastic adventure filled with fun, laughter and wonderful first experiences. The children were full of excitement for their very first coach journey, chatting eagerly as we set off. They especially enjoyed stroking the soft, fluffy bunnies, giggling as they fed the goats and enjoying a bumpy ride on the tractor. They also thoroughly enjoyed playing happily with their friends in the sunshine on the play park. Excellent memories were made by all, and after such a busy day, the coach ride back to school was very quiet!

Year 2 Trip to Beaumanor Hall

OnFriday14thMarch,Year2cametoschooldressed upasVictorianchildrenandeveryonelooked absolutelyfantastic.Theyallheadedoffwiththeir VictorianstylepackedlunchestoBeaumanorHall, wheretheywouldspendthedaygoingbackintime. Year2hadafabulousdayrole-playingbeingservants bydoingthewashingandironing.Afterlunchthey becameVictorianschoolchildrenwithavery formidableteacher!Theytriedcopperplate handwritingandcompletingnumberproblemson theirslateboards Unfortunately,MrsWilliamsmade amistakerecitingthealphabetbackwardsandhadto wearthedunce’scap!Year2thenhadalovelytime exploringandplayingwithVictoriantoysaftertheir hardworkanddiscoveredsomebrandnewskills.A reallylovelydaywashadbyallandIthinkitisfairto saythechildrenwereverygladtogetbacktotheir modernschoollife!

Roman’s Trip to Mount Cook

On the morning of the trip I felt ecstatic and fell out of my bed. The bit I was looking forward to most was archery because I think it is extremely cool to hit the bullseye and I really enjoy this sport. Archery is one of the world’s oldest sports, and you can learn very valuable survival skills. It’s great for your mental health and can improve your mood and help you to feel much better. When we got there I was buzzing with excitement and I couldn’t wait to start all activities and enjoy outdoor fun with my friends.

My first activity was archery and throwing spares. I threw the spare and it hit the target just in the centre! It made me very proud because I love it. Then, we walked back to the hut and we had a yummy, scrummy lunch. Our next activity was digging the fossils. I dug up the spine of a human from Roman times. I learnt that the Romans kept very precious things like a piece of marble for floor tiles. One of the funniest bits was when I fell in the snow it was hilarious.

I found it interesting that Romans used slate to make fire. We were learning how to start the fire the way Romans did so with a piece of metal and slate. I turned out to be excellent in this task. It also blew my mind when I found out that in Romans times children my age were not going to schools like us but instead they were given a spoon and a dagger and were sent to after battlefield, full of dead bodies to get their jewellery and important staff. I learnt that the Roman used different techniques for the battles. They connected all their shields together to make a giant shield so no-one can get through. During the war they could only eat bread and meat because everything else would be too heavy for them to carry. They could also only have breakfast and dinner as they were fighting during lunch.

My favourite part of the day was simply everything because I love outdoor activities like that and the trip was brilliant! It was my best part in Year 3 so far.

Year 4 History Trip to the New Walk Museum in Leicester

As we all excitedly arrived at the New Walk Museum, we quickly stored our belongings away and 4W went to the second floor. Here we looked at the Pharaoh’s tombs and learnt how Egyptians mummified the dead. I know it’s not something we see every day so we were very lucky to have this opportunity to view some real mummies and observe the preserved body.

We also carefully handled the clothing worn by Egyptians and admired the elegant clothing. As quick as a flash, we transformed ourselves into ancient Egyptians. Positively trembling with excitement, we also preserved some organs which isn’t something your asked to do on a school day!

As quick as a flash, it was already lunchtime, but my, head reeling from some of the gruesome of facts that we had learnt!

After that we went looking around the rest of the museum for interesting artefacts and we even got to see some fossils of dinosaurs! In all our trip to Leicester was spectacular!

Adi, N

Year 4 Derbyshire Residential

My favourite day was day three because we learned all about the history of the village of Eyam in Derbyshire. We found out about how the plague started in Eyam and how the people bravely chose to isolate themselves to stop the disease from spreading. It all began when a person coming from London brought a bundle of cloth covered in the fleas that had the virus.

The first activity we did was a village walk to see some of the historical sites and stories. Next, we went to the Eyam museum to discover even more of the history, such as what the plague did to you, including symptoms such as fever, constant coughing and painful lumps on their neck.

Finally, we went to the village church and learned some fascinating stories about the residents of Eyam during this time and some of the people who miraculously survived the pandemic.

The final day was a great experience and I learnt so much of the local history of this wonderful village before we returned to school.

Adam, A

Of all my brilliant days at the Derbyshire residential, the first was my favourite. Packed with adventurous, exciting activities, I loved it.

We had to get there first. And so, Year 4 piled their suitcases into the hold, and set off on our one and a half hour odyssey. Relaxed, bored, excited, I felt them all. Later, we finally arrived. After going to the toilet and eating a quick snack, me and the rest of us chatted like geese, while trudging onwards on the half mile walk to the top of Tegg’s Nose.

The Moorland Adventure Team welcomed us, confirmed names, and started. 4W (my class) were rock climbing/abseiling, while 4C went orienteering. Now, I’ve climbed indoors before, but this was completely different. I’m used to holes everywhere, but half the wall was flat! From the ground it looked easy, but when you took the first step, you knew you were wrong. After that challenge, I went up for abseiling. By far, the hardest part of it is the first, jumping the ledge. For a split second, it feels as if you're weightless, until you regain your balance. Still, it was great fun. And lunch was approaching.

The orienteering team came back sweaty and tired, having found eight letters. Ravenous, we all wolfed down our meals. Then we rotated and 4W went orienteering. Climbing down and up steps wasn’t exactly pleasant in the boiling weather, nor the running and shouting. Near the end a small group branched off including me, Anaya, Khush and someone else, supervised by Miss Whittamore. Three letters behind 4C, we were desperate. However, we only found two more.

A half hour ride, and we got to the Nightingale Centre. Dinner was served quickly to my relief, and was incredible - spaghetti bolognaise. Then our rooms. I had my fingers crossed, my heart thumping loudly.

“-and Kalyan is with Joshua in room 16.” All my tension flooded out of me. I was

Kalyan, R.

Waking up:

In my room, there were three people including myself, Adi, and Alex. We woke up around the same time and started to play a game called Chameleon. It was really funny because Adi kept showing his card when he wasn’t supposed to. Mr Mercer then told us to go down to breakfast which was really delicious. Firstly, we had cereal so I had Frosties. After that, I had a vegan sausage, an egg, a hash brown and a piece of toast.

Problem

Solving:

Once we finished our breakfast, Mrs Whittamore announced what we were doing. We were then told to go to our rooms and brush our teeth. Mr Mercer then called us back down outside where Moorland Adventures were waiting for us with everything set up. In my group we did problem solving first. One of the activities was trying to connect gutters to make a golf ball roll down it around the slide and back to the starting place. We dropped the ball five times but we eventually got it back to the starting place!

Archery:

Our second activity was archery. We learnt how to load a bow safely and how to shoot. It was great fun and after that we had two little games. The first game was in teams. Your team had to try and get the most points. Team four had a big advantage because they had Mr Mercer so they scored twenty two points but my team came third with six points. Team three was fourth and team two came second. The othergame was where the person who shot their arrow closest or on a balloon gets to keep the balloon (though if you popped the balloon youwould get the popped balloon).

Bushcraft:

Our last activity was bushcraft. At breakfast, Adi said he thuoght that bushcraft was where you get huge scissors and cut up bushes. I told him that bushcraft was actitvites like how to light a fire and make a den and the first things you need to do if you're in a jungle/forest/woods and how to survive. In bushcraft in Derbyshire, we learnt how to light a fire. I learnt to never ever put a rock in a fire. The reason for this is that rocks have tiny air particles which will make the rock explode if it’s put in fire. We also made hot chocolate using the water that we had heated up in a Kelly kettle and it was really yummy.

Evening:

After we finished the activities, we went to our rooms to get changed and went out to have play. The play was longer than the ones we had before and this lasted around half an hour. After playtime, we had dinner. Dinner was bangers ‘n’ mash. It was so delicious. After that we had another playtime and me, Teddy, Alex, Edward, Sai, Hillary and Gus. Next, we watched a video about Eyam and it told us about the sacrifices that they had to make to stop the plague spreading. We also discussed the meaning of the nursery rhyme, Ring-a-Ring O’Roses. Rosies are what the people called the round swells on the neck. A pocket full of posies. Posies is a type of flower and it represents the herbs people used to try and cure the plague. Atishoo atishoo. This line represents the symptoms of the plague. We all fall down. The last means you die of the plague, you basically drop. We then all went to bed. I really enjoyed all of the learning on the residential!

Khush, M

Year 3 Conkers Residential

Conkers is an outdoor adventure park where we can do lots of outdoor and indoor activities. Some of the activities I did were bushcraft, barefoot walk, canoeing, adventure play and indoor activities too.

I was thrilled for the residential, so I followed the list of things provided to us by Miss Griffiths. I packed my outdoor shoes, shorts, waterproof jacket, jumpers, joggers and sleeping clothes for the night. The day we reached Conkers it was cold, but the second day was a bit warm.

It felt different staying at a youth hostel, and scary too at the same time as it was my first time away from my parents. I really enjoyed the food, it was different from what I normally eat at home. At night, We had a pyjama party which was superb. Before going to sleep, I read my Malory Towers book. Overall, it was an exciting day.

My favourite moment was Bushcraft where we learned how to make fires. It also taught us how to stay safe in the forest which was interesting and informative too. We roasted marshmallows which tasted delicious. It was hard to choose my favourite moment though because I enjoyed all the activities.

I was delighted when I got to see my parents. I felt so much love as I missed them a lot. After I reached home, I met my pet dog Bella and she licked me, maybe because she missed me.

My experience at Conkers was amazing. It was such a good residential where I did plenty of outdoor and indoor activities. I had an enjoyable time staying overnight with my friends, something which I have never done before. Next day when I reached home I was extremely tired, and hungry too. I rested the whole weekend to get my full energy back. Because it was my first time staying overnight without my parents, it was nerve wracking at first, but because I was so looking forward to spending time with my friends that it didn’t bother me too much. After we started our journey in the bus, I forgot how anxious I was, and all I was thinking about is the fun we are going to have for the next 2 days. In the end, I would say I really enjoyed my residential, and would love to go on it again next year.

Akira, M.

Year 3 Conkers Residential

Conkers is a place where you can do lots of outdoor activities. It is as big as ninety football pitches.

The first thing we did was an assault course. We had to hold a bucket of water and go along the assault course trying to not drop any water. There was a slide and when everyone went down all of the water sloshed out. When it was my turn Justin and Leah were holding the bucket and I was helping them stay up at the top of the slide while I thought of a plan and Justin slid down the slide and half of the water tipped out. Then the rest of the team had to slide down onto all the water.

After that we went to the Youth Hostel to get some dinner. I had a veggie burger and it was really nice. I had a waffle with cream and caramel sauce for my pudding.

We found our dorms and I was with Isaac and Monte. We went up to the dorms and came down in our pyjamas to play some games. I brought Uno Flip with me and I played it with Theo and Ethan. Then we went up to go to bed.

When we got up in the morning we went to have breakfast. I had some cereal, then I had a pastry and then I had some more cereal. You could also get a cooked breakfast.

After breakfast we went katacanoeing. We had to get there on the train. It was exciting. We went to the katacanoeing and we pretended to be vikings and bumped into all the other boats. It was really fun.

Next we did bushcraft and we lit a fire and toasted marshmallows. They were really yummy! Then we sadly had to go back to school. I felt excited to see my Mum again. I thought the trip was really really fun.

Harry, S

Conkers is a place where you go and do adventures and fun activities. At Conker’s you can do a variety of things including canoeing, bushcraft, 4D cinema and so much more. Conker’s was made around 25 years ago in the national forest Derbyshire.

For this trip we had to pack clothes, pyjamas and cosy slippers. We also had to wear comfortable shoes, waterproof trousers and jackets. We also had to get packed lunches and water bottles so that we could have picnic lunch. We got to bring our squishy toys which I liked.

When the teachers told us that we were going on a residential trip to Conkers, I felt happy because we could stay with our friends and sleep with them in the bunk beds. My favourite moment was canoeing, because we could go on a boat with our friends and canoe with them.

After I came back from Conkers I felt happy to see my mum and dad because I haven’t seen them for one and a half days.

I felt proud after the residential trip to Conkers because I have not been away from home without my mum and dad. I also felt happy and energised because of all those fun and adventurous activities.

I didn’t have any nerves or difficulties for this visit and I was looking forward to this trip.

Samu U B

Year 4 Trip to Lincoln

Lincoln Cathedral

In February, Year 4 went on a trip to Lincoln Cathedral to learn about its history and Christianity. We were given a tour of the cathedral including the place where people are christened and the incredible stained glass windows. The lady explained to us that if you look at the pictures of the stained glass windows from the bottom to the top, it retells stories from the Bible. She also told us that the building is in the shape of a cross and has been rebuilt three times. It was first built out of wood but it got burnt down due to the candles. Then it was rebuilt out of stone but was destroyed by an earthquake, leaving only a door and wall behind. Eventually, it was built out of brick and still stands today. For the last task of the day, we were challenged to design out own version of stained glass windows. When all the pictures were finished they were put together at school to make a beautiful picture which is now displayed in school. That was my favourite part of the day and for my piece I draw a cross and birds.

Thank you to Mr Crossland, Mrs Whittamore and Miss Gill for taking us, we all had an amazing time!

Kitty, A. 4C.

Lincoln Mosque

I was very excited to visit the Lincoln Mosque recently. We went on a coach, and it took us around an hour and fifteen minutes to arrive. When we reached the Mosque, I saw that the building had a gigantic dome. First, I took my shoes off to enter the Mosque. I learnt that we should take our shoes off to enter holy places to keep it clean and as a mark of respect. I liked how calm and peaceful the Mosque was.

Next, we sat on the carpet and heard a lot of interesting facts about Islam. I learnt that the Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. They pray five times a day and face a special direction when they pray. There is a person called Imam who leads the prayers. I learnt that Muslims pray to Allah and that he has many names. After learning about the Mosque and Islam, we heard the call to prayer echoing through the chambers of the Mosque. I saw how they prayed and looked at the holy book The Quran. I was fascinated to see all the Arabic writing on the walls and the ceiling.

I enjoyed my visit and learnt a lot about how Muslims worship.

By Sanjay, K. 4W.

Year 5 The Space Centre

On the 13th May 2025 Year 5 went to the Leicester Space Centre. After about an hour's drive we reached the destination, where the first activity was to make some moon wheels. It was very fun and interesting. The planetarium was the next thing that we did, inside it felt that we were really in space and soaring through the stars. After that exciting space journey we were ready to eat our tasty lunch. The galleries were the third that we did, there were big interactive boards that told us interesting facts about space. As well as that there were space cars and weird tunnels.

At the top was the amazing rocket tower, there was a real piece of rock from the moon! Also a human astronaut cardboard figure that we could put our heads into. This trip was my favourite space trip ever.

By Ayaan, K.

Year5TriptoBeaumanorHall

On Tuesday 11th March, Year 5 went on a fantastic trip to Beaumanor Hall in Leicestershire where they enjoyed some immersive activities linked to our History lessons about the Home Front in World War Two. Here are some of their recollections of the main activities:

Beaumanor wasn ’ t just a big fancy house it was actually a secret listening station during the war. Our mission? To learn how British codebreakers intercepted German messages and helped win the war. First, we sat at old wooden desks with headphones, just like the wartime radio operators. We listened carefully to crackly Morse code messages and had to write them down using special sheets. It was tricky at first, but once we got the hang of it, we felt like real codebreakers! Then, we learned about the Enigma machine a special device the Germans used to send secret messages. They thought it was unbreakable, but clever minds at Bletchley Park managed to crack it! Without them, the war might have lasted much longer.

Whilst at Beaumanor Hall, we heard the sad tale of Flopsy.

Dinner smelled amazing. We all tucked into Mum’s mystery stew rich, tender, and…different.

“Where’s the meat from?” I asked.

Mum hesitated. Dad looked away. Then Billy grinned. “It’s Flopsy!” Silence.

Flopsy. Our pet rabbit. Our fluffy, twitchy-nosed best friend—now in my dinner?!

Dad patted my shoulder. “Flopsy would have wanted it this way.

”

Would he?!

Billy slurped happily. “More Flopsy for me!”

And that’s the day I became a vegetarian.

Food was scarce back then, so people had to be very careful with what they bought. We stepped into a recreated wartime shop, filled with old-fashioned tins and packets. There were no big chocolate bars or crisps just basics like flour, dried eggs, and powdered milk. The shopkeeper gave us a strict ration of butter, sugar, and meat. We had to plan carefully to make sure we had enough for our meal.

Suddenly, the air raid siren wailed loudly across the grounds. My heart started racing! We had to move quickly, just like people did in the war. The teachers shouted, “Hurry! Get to the shelter!” We ran towards a dark underground bunker, our footsteps echoing on the cold stone floor.

Inside, it was damp and musty. The walls were rough, and there were only a few dim lights. I could hear my friends whispering nervously. We all huddled together on the wooden benches, waiting for the ‘all clear’ signal. It must have been terrifying for real families during the war, never knowing what they would find when they came back out.

To pass the time, we sang wartime songs like Run Rabbit Run, just like children did back then. It helped us feel braver. After a while, the siren sounded again this time for the all-clear. We climbed out, blinking in the daylight, relieved that it was only a practice. The whole experience made me realise how frightening it must have been to live during the war. I felt lucky that we don’t have to face real air raids today. It was an unforgettable trip, and I’ll always remember how brave people had to be during World War Two.

Year 5 Residential Trip to Cranedale

Last week, our class went on a three day residential trip to Cranedale in Yorkshire, and it was one of the most exciting experiences we ’ ve ever had!

On the first day, we visited the beach and explored Flamborough Head. The views were amazing, and we did some rockpooling where one of us even found a real starfish! It was so cool to see sea creatures up close. We also learned about the rock formations on the cliffs and how they were made over thousands of years. It was really interesting, even though it was quite windy!

That evening, we had a movie night and drank hot chocolate. Everyone wore their pyjamas and we all sat together, laughing and enjoying the film. The hot chocolate was warm and delicious, especially after being outside all day.

The next day, we did a river study. We looked at the features of the river like the flow, the riverbed, and the banks. Then we made boats out of natural materials like sticks and leaves. It was so much fun watching them float down the river although some of us stepped too far in and ended up with water in our wellies!

Later on, we visited a farm where we got to eat homemade ice cream. Lots of us chose different flavours and they were all amazing! We also saw some horses and goats. One of the goats tried to nibble someone ’ s coat, which made everyone laugh.

In the evening, we set humane traps to see which small animals lived nearby. The next morning, we checked them and found some moths. We learned how to identify them and even got to look at them closely.

On the last day, we played the survival game in the forest. We were each given roles as either predators or prey. Some of us were rabbits, some were foxes, and we had to sneak around without being caught. It felt like a real life adventure and was definitely one of our favourite parts of the trip.

Year 6 Trip to St Peter’s Church

It was a day of discovery, wonder, and a touch of adventure as the Year 6 pupils embarked on a memorable trip to St Peter’s Church in the heart of Nottingham.

One of the standout moments for many pupils was the opportunity to sing from the choir stalls. Standing where generations of choristers had once sung, the children filled the ancient space with joyful voices, creating a magical atmosphere that left everyone smiling.

But the biggest adventure of the day?

Walking on the roof! With safety in place and careful guidance, the children climbed to the top of the church and were treated to stunning views across Nottingham. For many, it was the first time they’d seen the city from such a unique perspective,

Throughout the visit, pupils also learned about the rich history of the local area.

From the church’s medieval origins to its role in the community today, the stories shared helped the children connect the past with the present in a meaningful way.

A huge thank you goes to the wonderful volunteers at St Peter’s Church. Your warmth and dedication made this trip unforgettable.

Young Voices 2025

On 26th February, we went to Birmingham for Young Voices and it was the best day ever! We sang in a massive arena with thousands of other children from different schools. When the lights went out and the music started, everyone screamed with excitement – it felt like we were in a real concert! We had practised for weeks, and it was amazing to finally perform. In the evening, our parents came to watch and cheered so loudly. It was so exciting seeing all the lights and hearing the band. We even got a late bedtime, which made it extra fun!

Year 6 Residential to Dobroyd Castle

Our Year 6 trip to Dobroyd Casle was an unforgettable experience where we took part in activities such as climbing caving and many more, we also enjoyed food like hot dogs and pasta. After a hard day of activities, we went to our rooms - but no one slept!

Our Favourite activities were; climbing, the giant swing, dungeon exploring, caving, and zip line. Our first activity was the rapid zip line where we made funny rhymes as we went down – we (Luca, Jacob, and Musa)- all got 100 points on the beanbag drop off the zip line. Caving was in an artificial cave, and we played among us which was incredibly fun. The crewmates won and the impostors were Willow, Abhayan, and Grace.

The food we ate at Dobroyd Casle was great. After arriving we enjoyed a warm slice of pizza and a chocolate chip cookie and then after an afternoon of activities we came inside and ate some fish and chips. Overall, all the food we had there was amazing and tasted great. It gave everyone the energy to make it through the day.

The rooms were very comfortable, and we made our beds neatly. It was extremely hot during the night, so we had to keep the windows open. The whole castle had an immaculate design, and it was all beautiful.

The residential was a highlight of Year 6, that everybody enjoyed. We hope to go back some day and enjoy the activities again in the future. This experience was unforgettable, and we will never forget it.

Year 6 Silent Disco

As part of our special Year 6 celebration week, we all went to a silent disco on the 16th May. To begin with, we were explained the rules. There were three colours (green, blue and red). On each colour, there was a song that would play from a playlist that Year 6 had created and once it had finished, another song would start. If you wanted to listen to the same song as someone else, you could just go on to the same colour as them and dance! Then we would dance with our friends and act like a cowboy for Gangam style! Even the teachers had the vibes! Unfortunately, we had to stop at some point to go to games but everyone loved it. Hopefully, we get to join in with another one some time soon! Make sure you have a go!

Attenborough Nature Reserve

The weather was beautiful for the Year 1 visit to Attenborough Nature Reserve as we explored all the different environments and living things living in them. We found and identified insects galore hiding in dark, damp woodland as well as a teeny, tiny newt! The pond dipping brought dragonfly nymphs, pond snails and many other water creatures to the surface for us to observe before they were safely returned to their home. We watched birds and fish through binoculars from the hidden safety of the hides. There was so much to see and do that we want to go back again!

I liked the pond dipping. I found lots of water creatures!

Ryan, D.

I loved seeing the fish jumping out of the water.

Julian, D

The forest was great because we found a newt!

Mannat

Year 3 RE Trip to the Mandir

In the spring term, we went to a Hindu Mandir because we were learning about the Hindu religion in RE lessons. The Mandir had statues of Hindu gods and different rooms for praying. The person who worked at the Mandir took us around and then he told us Hindu stories. He showed us a room where some people pray, and he told us how to use the praying equipment and we all got to hit the prayer bell on our way around.

Annie, C

On Wednesday all of the Year 3 classes went to the Mandir. When we got inside it was decorated in an Indian way with a lot of Hindi gods. Before we sat down on the red, shiny carpet, we had to take our shoes of to be polite. Then this man came to talk about the important gods then we named some gods like Lord Shiva and Hanuman and Ganash and Brahma and also Vishnu. In front of us was a carpet where people pray for the gods and in front of us were many gods that are really important to us. You can buy these statues to pray every day. Then we talked about some warriors who died for us. Behind us were some more statues and a very clear painting of Lord Shiva in the clear icy mountains having a special snake around him and also a really important bull protecting a special dark silk black rock. After that we got special water in our hands and poured it on Lord Shiva and then after the tour we got to ring the bell that was really noisy but really important. After that we got to draw some really super drawings of the Hindi gods.

Aryan, K.

Outdoor Education

EYFS Outdoor Education

Every week, we go on magical trip to our Secret Garden. With wellington boots on, waterproofs and a smile on our faces we make our way to our outdoor classroom. The Squirrel of the Week, gets to sit on the story throne whilst Mr Abdy reads us a story. We have to listen carefully as the story gives us a clue as to what we are going to be exploring that day. This year, we have baked, camped, climbed, dug, planted sunflower seeds and so much more!

During our butterfly topic, we explored other wildlife and learnt about other life cycles. We dig and find minibeasts, find them on our minibeast chart and then build them new homes. Every lesson ends with a dig, explore and we open a cafe, bakery, shop, restaurant or market in the mud kitchen, our teachers are always nervous as to what delicacies we might make next! Our hidden space in our school is one of our favourites, it’s a space for us to explore, be curious and create magical memories.

I love making chocolate smoothies, Grufflao crumble and Owl ice cream in the mud kitchen.

Chloe C

Year 1 Outdoor Education

Year 1 enjoyed their Outdoor Education sessions of this year. They made dens using tarpaulin sheets and tested them to see if they were waterproof. Afterwards, they used a flint to create sparks to light a piece of cotton wool. They were able to help each other and work as a team in both activities. Finally, they enjoyed a tasty treat, they enjoyed toasting marshmallows and eating popcorn at the end of their sessions. Their teachers were very impressed with how sensible they were whilst sitting around the campfire.

We all got wrapped up in our warmest clothes to visit the outdoor classroom. Mr Butcher and Mrs Holloway had so many fun activities for us. We matched bird species to information sheets, made bird feeders and listened to some lovely stories about wildlife. A cheeky magpie came to watch! It was definitely interested in having a snack on our bird feeders.

I love learning what sounds the birds make. The bird feeders were really fun to make and I took it home to hang in my garden.

George H

I liked it when the birds ate food from my bird feeder. My favourite birds are crows!

Lily

Year 2 Outdoor Education

Year 2 had a fantastic first Outdoor Education session with Mr Butcher! The children learnt about fire safety and had the exciting opportunity to make and cook bread over a fire pit. They practised using a flint to create a spark and ignite a piece of cotton wool. Then, they made their own dough from scratch using just flour and water and cooked it over the fire it was delicious! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the session and can ’ t wait for the next Outdoor Education adventure.

Year 6 Outdoor Education

In September, we had an amazing Outdoor Education day at school. In the morning, we got to go tree climbing right in our school grounds! We wore special harnesses and used ropes to climb really high. It felt a bit scary at first, but it was so much fun and we felt really proud of ourselves. The instructors helped us feel safe the whole time. In the afternoon, we had an archery session where we played fun games and tried to hit the target. It was a brilliant day full of adventure, and we loved learning new skills outdoors!

House Climbing

When we went to the Nottingham Climbing Centre, I loved it because I like climbing and it was huge. I also liked it because I learnt why there are different colour handles and I liked going on the one that your friends got to help you pull you up when you are climbing. My favorite part was climbing on the wall but not going up we went sideways till we got to the end. If I were to go again, I would try to climb on a wonky surface instead of a flat surface. It has made me want to climb outside of school!

Anaiya, J

On the day of the trip to the Nottingham Climbing Centre, we fizzed with excitement as my classmates and I started our walk to the tram stop to get to the centre. When we got there they split us up into groups, my group got to do wall climbing with a harness first while the others went bouldering. Next we had a challenge to climb on the same colour grip and then we had to do a maze of rock climbing. It was so much fun, I loved it!

Theodore, L.

Perlethorpe

On Monday 19th May, we went on a school trip to Perlethorpe. We did pond dipping which means we went into a river and caught minibeasts. We were taught three ways of catching them, one of the ways was to put the net under the plants and there was another one where you have to wriggle your feet. The last one was just to float the net on top of the water to see if anything went in as the water moved down stream. After we did that, we went into the forest to find some bugs. We had to find them by doing things like rolling over logs and checking in dead wood. We then put them into a cup so everyone could see what we found. Our group found a spider and a beetle. The teacher gave us animals, and we had to say their name their habitat and what they would eat. It was really fun!

Annie, C

On the 19th May, we travelled to Perlethorpe Farm. We dropped our bags off in a little hut. My group went to the river first. My friends and I took our shoes and socks off and then we put our wellies on and walked down to the river through the forest. A person called Janet taught us 3 ways to catch some water creatures. Dragging the net across the surface, rubbing it at the bushes and doing the ‘wiggly dance’. Janet split us into 2s to do the activity. There were lots of cool animals including water skaters, tadpoles, spiders, even water scorpions! We were all starving after! And then all of us had a nice, filling lunch. After that we went in the woods. Erdem, Theodore, Arjun and I caught some cool looking beetles and a Daddy Longlegs. What a fun trip!

Henry, H

On the 19th May we went to an outdoor education place in Perlethorpe. We did pond dipping and caught loads of river animals. The guide gave us three ways to catch them; 1st was the dance, 2nd was the tickle and 3rd was swish. My favourite way was the swish because it was the easiest to do. My group caught; a tadpole, bloodworms and scorpions. In the afternoon we also did bug catching and my group caught a spider and a beetle. It was so fun, but I didn't like the pond dipping because I got wet!

Isabel, S-M

Outdoor Education in the Lovell Garden

This week, we took part in a brilliant outdoor education session in the Lovell Garden, where we learnt all about birds and how to support them during the colder months.

We began the session by quietly observing the garden and looking for birds. Some of us spotted robins and blackbirds, and we learned how to identify different species by listening carefully to their calls. It felt like we were real birdwatchers! We also discussed why birds need extra help finding food in the winter, and how we can make a difference by feeding them. After that, we were told we would be making our very own wooden bird boxes to take home. First, we used sandpaper to smooth down the rough edges of the wood, so it would be safe for the birds. Then we carefully bent wire to create holders for the bird food. We had to take our time and concentrate to get it right.  Next, we used hammers and nails to put the bird boxes together. It was noisy and exciting, and we helped each other out whenever someone needed it.

We even made our own string to hang the boxes up with, which made the project feel even more special.

By the end of the session, we were proud to have built something useful with our own hands. We all got to take our bird boxes home, and we can't wait to hang them up and start feeding the birds in our own gardens.

It was a fantastic experience, and we really enjoyed learning new skills while helping nature at the same time.

Written by 5B.

Year 5 Trip to Mam Tor and Treak Cliff Caverns

Year 5 went on an exciting trip to Castleton and Treak Cliff Cavern. It was a brilliant day full of adventure, learning, and fresh air!

First, we arrived in Castleton, a lovely village surrounded by green hills and amazing views. We enjoyed exploring the local countryside. The walk was peaceful and beautiful, with lots of sheep in the fields and dry stone walls all around.

Next, we visited Treak Cliff Cavern. We went down into the mine, and it was dark and cool inside. We were amazed by the sparkly Blue John stone hidden in the rocks. We learned that Blue John is a rare mineral only found in this part of the world. There were also stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling, which were really impressive.

After the cave, we walked up a steep hill. It was a bit tiring, but the view from the top was worth it! Then we made our way down the old road, which was rocky and winding, but a lot of fun to walk on.

It was a fantastic day, and we all learnt so much. Exploring the cave and finding out about Blue John was definitely the best part!

Opportunities In School

Year 4 Ancient Egyptian Day

Reading Café

I loved that my mum came and we read books together in the Library. I loved it.

Maya, B

You can come in and read books but you can also choose books that you sometimes wouldn’t usually choose because everyone’s talking about the different books. It’s different recommendations and that’s really good.

William Reading Café is one of my best times in school. I love the Library and I love it when we all read together. I love reading.

Isla

Last summer, we took part in the Reading Olympics! We had to complete fun reading challenges and activities during the holidays. When we came back to school in September, we handed in our work and everyone was really proud. In a special assembly, we were given bronze, silver, or gold medals depending on how much we did. It was so exciting to be rewarded for our hard work! Some of the work was amazing – people made posters, wrote book reviews, and even did creative drawings. Here is a QR code so you can watch a video of the brilliant work!

Last friday, Year 6 pupils went down the road to Lovell House for an exclusive session with Reception, 1 and 2. Yes, our own Year 6s helped out with teaching all the children some maths, be it their times tables, number bonds, or many more. At precisely 9:45am, the children walked down the road to the Infant School, before each class was assigned a year group, as follows: 6C with Year 2, 6D with reception and 6H with Year 2. After a short get-to-know-you meeting, the kids went out to break, before returning back inside. Each class had made Times table flowers out of paper the day before, and were helping the younger students make their own ones. All in all, the day was a fun event for everyone involved, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Aniket, M

All of Year 6 got invited to go down to Lovell House on the Friday the seventh this February to spend a day of numbers with the pupils in the Infant School. We did fun maths related crafts with the students at Lovell like making a multiplication flower. We got to spend approximately an hour with the pupils at Lovell to learn more about them and to do a fun activity with them. We did a multiplication flower. A multiplication flower has a circle in the middle and twelve petals surrounding the middle. In the middle you would write the number of the times table you were doing. On the petals you would but the number you were timesting by. Then you would make another circle with twelve petals and on the second circle you would put the answer of the multiplication. We all had an amazing time.

Willow, I-W.

Last Week, we (the Year 6 group) went down to Lovell House to help with some maths activities, as it was numbers day then. There are three years in Lovell (Reception, 1,&2) each Year 6 class a year. Me and my classmates were with the Year 1 students and we were making times tables flap flowers. This was a joy to watch and teach, but judging by comparison of mine to one of the Year 1 students, I am embarrassed to point out that mine looked worse. I really enjoyed the numbers day. It was ‘Lovelly’.

Kailash, R

Year 3 Christmas Crafternoon

In the autumn term it was the Christmas crafternoon. My grandma and my grandad came and we enjoyed making crafts together in the classroom. One of the crafts we made was a star and a Christmas tree made from wooden sticks and sticky dots to help keep it together. I liked the Christmas crafternoon because I like crafting, I like Christmas and it's nice to do crafting at school in the afternoon with family and friends.

Anaiaya J

Just before Christmas we had a Christmas crafternoon and it was so exciting. We did crafting with our parents, making and decorating lots of creative things (mine was a mini tree)! The decoration I made even made it onto our class Christmas tree!

Joshua, F.

Crest Award

Last term we were lucky enough to take part in the Crest Award, an amazing opportunity to dive into extra-curricular work and be creative. Mrs Sethi hosted this club, and we are incredibly grateful to have had it led by such a brilliant teacher.

The theme for the Crest Award this year was AI, which stands for artificial intelligence, and we had to design our own machine that used AI. You could work in pairs if you wanted to, so it was a brilliant chance to build teamwork skills, as well as having the advantage of another person’s ideas. Everyone’s machines varied from robots that teach you how to play cricket to a wardrobe that produces you an outfit depending on the weather or what you like to wear.

We would meet after school on Wednesday to work on our ideas, but some groups also met outside of school to work on their projects. We learnt some brilliant new things like how to do market research and how to deliver the presentation properly as we only had 5 minutes.

My favorite part was the market research bit where we emailed people our ideas and asked for feedback, like whether they would buy them or not and what they thought might go wrong. Hearing feedback from other people was brilliant and helped us improve our ideas. To conclude it was an amazing opportunity and we were very grateful to have it.

Grace, J.

House Captain Afternoon Tea

For the first time this year, we held a celebratory afternoon tea to congratulate and thank the House Captains for all their hard work and dedication. Mrs Creasey

This year’s House Eggstravaganza was bigger than ever! Many of us got involved in decorating an egg at home. The eggs were really funny, creative and beautifully painted. There were animals, superheroes and even tiny egg scenes! We put them all on display and they looked amazing. Each person who entered earned merits for their House and the ash, for Hardy’s House. It was a brilliant way to show off our creativity and work together as a team for our Houses.

Jia S

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Year 6 Science Transition Day

On our Senior School Science transition day, we did an exciting experiment with marshmallows! We had to look how much weight it took to squash a marshmallow. We put weights on it, starting from a little weight and slowly adding more. When we reached 600 grams, the marshmallow got really squished! It was fun to watch and learn about how things change when you add more force. We converted the data into a line graph. This experiment made me so excited about Physics and how even food can help us learn about Science! I think Science will be one of my favourite subjects.

Daniel S

Year 1's Visit Year 6

Last week, on the 15th May, Year 1 came to visit the Junior School. Year 6 got to spend the whole morning with them doing fun activities together!  We were in groups of a few Year 6's and a few Year 1's the first activity we did was tower building! We used different coloured lolly sticks and glue to stick them all together to make one big colourful tower!

Next, we had break time and got to play with all the Year 1's. We got to say ‘Hi’ to siblings and friends! After that, it was time for a snack, we handed out the food and milk for the Year 1's. When they had finished their food, we moved onto the next activity. My class and the Year 1’s all went to the art room to do our activity which was the following; we made glue shapes and paint splat monsters. We made the splat monsters by getting paint and splatting it on paper then placing googly eyes on top.  For the penultimate activity, we went down to the junior hall and the Year 6's got into groups and made up a fun physical activity for the Year 1's to do. We did a circuit so the Year 1's went round in a circle every time to do the activities.  One of them was where the Year 1's did a quick race and when they finished the Year 6's did a race too. Whichever group won got to do a victory dance!

Last of all, we did fun dancing to energize us for the afternoon!  We had so much fun with the year 1’and hope they did too!

Rose & Willow, Y6.

This day might be the best day of my life because we got to teach the Year One children and do lots of fun activities with them. We first greeted them and settled down. I was with Arhill and Seraphina was with Ophelia. Together, we sat down on the floor in the art room, and we learnt how to make shapes with glue and monsters. After the demonstration was done, we set off to a table to make our own shapes and monsters. Arhill was good at listening and already knew what he was doing without help. Together we did three shapes and one funky monster. Next, we had a break, and we enjoyed playing tag. Later, we went outside and did some exercises which were really fun and unique! To finish off we had a fun dance in the hall before it was time to move on to the next activity. To finish the morning, we finished off with building objects and towers, which was quite hard because our hands kept on getting sticky because of the glue we used to make the tower. We used popsicle sticks and glue to stick together to make towers. Soon, it was time to say goodbye, which was really sad because I really enjoyed the day with them. It was so delightful to teach them and learn with them and find out about them.

Humanist UK Visit

One day last week, some visitors came to our school. We went down to the hall to see two grown ups from Humanists UK in the Junior School hall and they said they were going to talk about what Humanists are. Firstly, David picked a few children to pick out an item from David’s sack with a globe, a mannequin, a microscope and many others to represent what Humanists are and what they do. While David did all the talking and interacting, Barnaby on the other hand was observing what David was doing because he was going to do something similar with another school. A week before David and Barnaby came, in our RE lessons, we wrote down some really interesting questions for them so they told us some cool facts about Humanists. On the whole, I think this was a really fun day.

Aaryan, J

A Humanist speaker came in and brought in some of the following objects to represent what Humanism meant to him: A pen, a mannequin, a globe and a timer. He brought the pen because Humanists believe that they write their own story as they go; a mannequin to represent that we should be kind to other people and treat others how we want to be treated. He brought the globe with the intention of reminding us to keep our planet safe and look after it and finally, the timer to say that we need to make the most of our lives because we only have one. He then asked us for questions and the most interesting thing I heard was that Humanists can go to religious meetings and celebrations. I didn’t agree with some things that he said but I respect his opinion and understand why he may not believe in God.

Waaris, K.

I really enjoyed my session with the Humanist that visited our school. The whole of Year Six attended a sitting in our Junior School hall to listen to a Humanist speak about five objects he found in his house such as: a globe, a wooden stick figure, a pen, a magnifying glass and a sand timer. All of these objects have a meaning in humanism; for example, the pen. The pen is used for writing the rules. As Humanism isn't a religion, they don't have a holy book, which means they can write their own rules and limits. After the Humanist finished talking, me and my fellow classmates asked some questions that we came up with in our Humanities lesson. Overall, I had a great time learning a lot about Humanism. I hope more Humanists come to our school in the future.

Haris, Q.

Year 3 Showcase

At Nottingham High School every year we perform what we’ve learnt in the academic year and it is called The Showcase. This is an exciting event where all of the people in every single year performed in front of parents. This took a lot of work and dedication. Together as a team we worked hard and rehearsed regularly together practising songs and learning lyrics so that it all came together and sounded great! It took a few weeks for it to all come together. Sometimes we practiced just as class, sometimes as a whole year. One by one we said our lines in front of Miss Griffiths who recorded it with the green screen. The videos were all put together to create a new, amazing, creative film, especially given that it’s made by Year Threes! Before the actual show we performed to Year Fives and one class of Year Four and that was our dress rehearsal. Before the showcase I felt excited but nervous at the same time. I had an odd feeling in my tummy which turned out to be called ‘butterflies’. My character in the showcase was to be a normal human being and my main job was to sing the songs I had learnt. I really enjoyed singing with my year, it made me feel part of a team being in the choir and that made me happy. The songs that had been chosen were fun and jolly too which helped, these songs were chosen by Mr Corin (our music teacher). I felt proud that my brother Nikhil got the part of an alien! To see him perform was nice! My favourite part was when Nikhil drank out of the teacher’s mug! Once we had finished, I felt proud that we had completed the showcase for this year and that it had gone well. Maddie (my nanny) came to watch as my parents were hard at work. She was very proud of us. My parents also watched the photos and the videos shared, and said they really enjoyed the show and were proud of me and my brother. It made me feel warm inside. Overall I learnt that it was an amazing event to be involved in. All the filming and all the singing was fun and exciting. To do it all together as a year was special. We just tried our best and sang our hearts out! I am grateful to have a lovely year of friends and great teachers who made the event spectacular!

Neel, P

“This Year 3 Showcase was out of this world!”

Mrs Bennett

Year 5 Showcase

Year 5 dazzled at their World War Two themed Home Front showcase, impressing families with a vibrant celebration of history and performance. The event featured rousing renditions of wartime classics, including We'll Meet Again and Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover. A standout moment saw children joyfully teaching parents to sing Run Rabbit Run. Evacuation scenes and life in the Anderson shelters during the Blitz were powerfully portrayed, alongside a humorous take on rationing. A special mention must be given to our onscreen performers, who educated their parents with facts about the war and evoked our experiences in a genuine World War Two shelter, situated in Beaumanor Hall, perfectly. Finally, pupils gave stirring performances as Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill to start and end the show. The afternoon ended on a high with a shared VE Day picnic, uniting children and families in a true wartime spirit.

Year 4 Showcase

Atthe end of the school year, we did a fabulous showcase about all of the fantastic learning experiences we had and put it all into a showcase for parents, siblings and family. So not only we got to experience it, we also got to show it! All of us got to have a part, e.g. being a sports correspondent or an actor person like Isis. Afterall of the practices, I am pretty sure everyone was still nervous but we managed to do the showcases and we got somany claps. So, in Year 4, weall had a really fun time not only performing but practising the showcases too.

By Bella, C

STEAM

AlongwiththeJuniorSchool,LovellHousecelebratedSTEAM CareersandNeurodiversity.Thechildrentookpartinvarious workshopstolearnaboutx-raysandfirstaid,howtotakecareof babies,websitedesignandthelawandhowthataffectspeoplewith neurodiversity.Thechildrenhadawonderfuldaygettinginvolvedin alltheactivitiesandlistenedbeautifullytoallourparentvolunteers

Fantastic Brains Return To School!

OnThursday8thMay2025,NottinghamHighSchoolhad anamazingSTEAMDaywherewelearntallabout neurodiversity Fourbrilliantspeakerscameinandtwoof themwereformerpupils!Eachspeakerhadadifferentstory totell,andwelearnthowpeoplewithconditionslike ADHD,dyslexiaandTourette’scanstillachieveincredible thingsinscience,technology,engineering,thearts,and maths.

FirstwasWeixiHan,whotaughtusaboutbananasandwhy theycan'tgrowinEngland Theyneedmoresunlightand comefromplacesliketheBenitoFarminthePhilippines, taking27daystoreachtheshops.Weplayedafast-paced gameinteams-Bananas,WatermelonsandStrawberries–passingballswithoutgivingthemtothepersonnexttous It wasareallyenjoyablesession!

MathewWetton,whowenttoourschool,toldusabouthis workingeophysics Hehasdyslexia,dyspraxiaand Tourette's,andhestudieslayersofrocks Heexploresrocks fromthousandsofyearsago!WelearnedabouttheOld RiverValley,whichis50,000yearsold,theLargeEsary whichis100,000yearsagoandtheEndoftheLastIceAge whichis7,000yearsago.Itwassoexcitingtolearnallabout theseandtounderstandhisconditionandhearwhathehas achieved

Next,wemetJakeBusuttil-Goodfellow,whohasADHD andnowworksindrugdevelopment.Hetoldushow ADHDaffectshisfocus,timemanagementanddealing withstress,butdoesn'tstophimfromdoingexciting science.Wemadeproteinsoutofpipecleaners;meandmy friendmadeapretzelshapedheart.Itwasfunandhelpedus understandADHDmore

Finally,TomTurnerspokeaboutworkingatSumoDigital, makinggameslikeSonic,MinecraftandHogwarts.His companyhelpspeoplewithneurodiverseneedsbycreating quietspacesandflexiblehours Heshowedusagamethat putsyouintheshoesofsomeonewithADHD.Itwasreally enjoyableandreallymadeusthink STEAMdaytaughtusthathavingadifferentbraincanbea superpower.Assomeonewithdyslexiamyself,itmademe feelveryinspired.Thespeakershadsuchcooljobs,andit mademethinkthatIcanhaveasupercooljobonedaytoo

Anoushka, P-T

Christmas Crafternoon in

EYFS

Sparkleandshine,it’scrafttime!We trulygotintothemoodofcelebration towardstheendoftheautumnterm We beganthesessionsbydiscussingwhat differentcelebrationswehavelookedat throughoutthehalfterm Thechildren lovedsharingtheirexperiencesof Diwali,HanukahandAdvent,wethen madetheconnectionthattheyallhave lights!Afterwards,wediscussedthe upcomingfestivalsandcelebrations,we spokeabouthowdifferentcommunities celebrate Itwaswonderfultohearhow andwhereourschoolcommunities celebrate,thechildrenlovedhearing eachother’sexperiences Thechildren thenbegandesigningwreaths,sewing treesandmakingourowncardsto celebratetheholidays!However,we didn’tjustcelebratedifferentfestivalsof lightduringthesesessions,wecelebrated allourwonderfulachievementsby sharingourworkwithourgrownups Thebestwaytoendafantasticfirstterm ofschool.

Christmas Crafternoon in Year 1

It’sbeginningtofeelalotlikeChristmas We invitedourparentsintoschoolforourChristmas Crafternoon Itwaslovelytospendtimecreating cardsanddecorationsandpractiseoursewing skills.Ourparentshadlotsoffunbeingcreative too!MerryChristmas

Ilikeditwhenwemade Christmastrees Ialsolikedthe tablewhereyoucouldmake whateveryouliked Erin, 1S

I really enjoyed making all the Christmas decorations to hang on my tree. Vince, 1S

Year 1 Pirate Day

Year1thoroughlyenjoyedtheircross-curricularPirateDay.Theycompletedadramaworkshoptohelp TheChildrenwithideasfortheirwriting MrAbdysetlotsofphysicalpirateactivitiestocompletein theirHouseswhilstsomepupilsusedtheirbalancingskillstofillbarrelsofwateronthetrimtrail.They solvedmathsandgeneralknowledgeproblemsaspartofourorienteeringchallenge.Finally,the ChildrentheirourD&Tskillstothetestbybuildingpirateshipsoutofrecyclablematerials

EYFS People Who Help Us

OurEYFSchildrenenteredtheirclassroomstofindarealcrimesceneawaitingthem Eagerto investigate,theyquicklygrabbedtheirmagnifyingglassesandpolicereportformstoexaminethe evidence Totheirshock,theydiscoveredthattheirtokenshadvanished!Astheysearched,they uncoveredmuddyfootprintsandfingerprints.Justthen,MrsSimpsoncalledanemergencymeetingand handedthemaCCTVimageofthesuspect.WecontactedNottinghamshireCityPolice,whoassistedin analysingthefingerprints,footprintsandCCTVfootage,ultimatelyrevealingthattheculpritwasnone otherthanMrCordy!

The Literacy Festival and World Book Day

We learnt so much about writing during our Literary Festival week. We were lucky to have lots of parent volunteers who told us all about their jobs and their love of writing. It made us want to be writers too!

We put this into practice by writing up our section of a wonderful picture book called Mirror. It was wonderful to explore life in Morocco and Australia.

On Thursday, it was World Book Day. We loved dressing up and celebrating our favourite books and authors. What is your favourite book?

I love reading with my friends. Also, I liked sharing my favourite books and exploring good stories on World Book Day.

Evelyn, 1D.

It was a lovely time to read with our families. I felt happy when I ran into the classroom and I got to see everyone’s costumes.

Arthur, 1G.

World Book Day and Literary Festival

This year for World Book Day, the theme was ‘Windows and Mirrors’. The week before, I sat down and thought ‘Who am I going to dress up as?’ Then it came to me, Dorothy! This was because I could easily pull off this costume and who better to represent windows and mirrors - Dorothy mirrors positive morals and values. Even though I didn't find a lion, save a tinman or help the scarecrow, Dorothy was exactly who I wanted to be. I wore a blue checked dress, a lovely cherry red headband with a perfect bow on top and had the terrific Toto the dog with me.

At school, we had an amazing assembly from Dr Vohra. She is a doctor and a non-fiction author. She talked to us about her medical books. Dr Vohra even went through the stages of writing a book and she explained how she ended up going back to the editor nearly 9 times. I really found her interesting because I love books and how they are made. I am always happy to hear about anything book related.

Later on in the day, Matt Turpin came to talk about fake news! He told us how to spot if the information was fake or not. First, he said that birds were robots and even brought a t-shirt with him to prove it! Luckily, we spotted right away that it was fake. Then he even talked about golden toilets which we thought were true. I really loved this assembly. It was very funny and I learned a lot.

I enjoyed talking about all the different kinds of books. I also really liked talking to everyone and to understand who they were dressed up as. My friend Luminar dressed up as Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Her outfit was incredible and spectacular. I can normally be found at school pick up times with my nose in a book and a smile on my face. Books are adventurous and exciting and they are definitely my happy place.

We also did a mystery book swap. I received the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid No Brainer and I swapped The Best Sleepover of my Life by Jacqueline Wilson. I loved reading that book, especially because I met the author Jacqueline Wilson a few weeks before.

I hope that there are lots more things like world book day! Next year, I would love to do a catwalk with our costumes down the hall. Also, my mummy reads poetry to me and next year I would like more activities around poem reading and writing.

Preetam, L

World Book Day and Literary Festival

On World Book Day I dressed up as Fantastic Mr Fox. I wore a smart jacket, a silk cravat, a furry fox hat that looked like a fox’s head, a bag shaped like an acorn and fox sneakers. My mum drew some whiskers on my face with face paint, and gave me a black fox nose for added impact. I love stories by Roald Dahl, but I especially love the crafty and clever fantastic Mr Fox, because he is very good at being sneaky.

At school we had an assembly with Dr Vohra, and she shared details on how to publish a book. I found it very interesting, but it didn't sound easy as there were lots of steps involved.

The following week we had another visitor in assembly, Matt Turpin, who writes for The Beestonian magazine. He named his magazine after a famous beekeeper from the town of Beeston, and he claims he is a Lord. He was really engaging and had lots of interesting stories to share.

In class, we discussed a fascinating book called “Mirror” based on the similarities between two children from different countries, Australia and Mongolia. They shared the same routine every day; one occasion involved going to the market with their dads to buy carpets.

Whilst I didn’t participate in the Mystery Book Swap, I did donate a book to school for my birthday. It was a hilarious book called The Twits Nextdoor. This is one of my alltime favourite books, and is a follow on from Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’. The Lovelies live next door and are the complete opposite to the Twits, who take it upon themselves to try to get rid of their lovely neighbours with terrible tricks. My favourite part is when they gift them a fierce pet tiger, but the Lovelies are so lovely, the tiger turns into their actual pet.

I don’t have any improvements or suggestions for my teachers, because I enjoyed these special events just as they were.

Alex, C.

Ducklings in EYFS

Our EYFS children have had the most exciting two weeks watching four ducklings hatch and grow! It all started when we carefully watched the eggs in the incubator, eagerly waiting for the first crack! Then, one afternoon, we were overjoying to see tiny beaks and feathers poking through, until POP! The first duckling emerged! Over the next few days, the four little ducklings grew stronger and fluffier. The children have loved feeding them, watching them swim and learning how to care for them. It was a wonderful experience that taught our youngest pupils about the wonders of nature and the joy of watching life grow before their eyes!

Festival of Light Celebration

The whole of the Infant school had a wonderful day celebrating Diwali, amongst other festivals of light. We even had a special and very delicious mango lassi as part of our morning snack. Year 2 had the opportunity to go and visit the beautiful Diwali display in the Senior school’s ‘Curiosity corridor’. Mr Abdy and Miss Walter taught the children a fantastic bhangra dance which they all enjoyed. All of the children made and decorated beautiful divas and took part in a range of activities through the day. The day culminated in a lovely assembly where we turned down the lights and the whole school sat with electric candles lit in their diwas which was such a magical moment and way to end such a special day at the Infant school.

Eid Celebrations

On our last day of half term, we celebrated the start of Eid as a school by having a special assembly where children shared their experiences of getting ready for Eid and the different ways that they celebrate. We talked about the importance of Ramadan and shared the routine of a family taking part in this and then celebrating Eid. We also talked about the importance of looking after those around us and being charitable linked to our Pastoral road map. The infant school children all showed a super understanding and thank you to the children who shared their experiences.

Lunar New Year

Did you notice a dragon arrive at school? The Infant School had a fantastic day celebrating Lunar New Year and the start of the Year of the Snake by taking part in a wide range of creative activities. The children created paper snakes, lanterns, Happy New Year cards and practised their chinese writing skills by copying numbers to 10 with great care. Each class collaged and created one part of our dragon and this was given a wonderful home up our spiral staircase, ready to greet the children and visitors when they came to school. Every child also wrote a wish for the future and put it on a red envelope and they were wonderful to read and share with the school. Everyone had a fantastic day celebrating such a special occasion.

Easter Egg Hunt at Lovell House

We started our day with Open Classrooms and we completed some fun Easter and Spring crafts with our grown ups. We couldn’t wait to take them home!

Next, we went outside and completed some Easter orienteering. If you found all of the clues, it spelt a word. The Easter Bunny had also hidden some plastic eggs to find. We worked in teams to find one of each colour. It was egg-cellent!

Year 6 Visit Year 1

Year 6 were fantastic role models to our Year 1 pupils and organised a range of activities for them to take part in. In art, they loved creating our own ‘Splat Monsters’. The Children practiced their team working skills by creating the tallest tower, using lolly sticks. Mrs Dunn challenged them to complete some circuit

World Environment Day 2025

KS1 thoroughly enjoyed celebrating World Environment Day, with a special focus on this year’s theme: #BeatPlasticPollution. In preparation, children were invited to bring in a selection of recyclable materials from home. They then used these items to design and create their own imaginative pieces of artwork. Each model reflected the importance of keeping our oceans and seas clean and free from harmful plastic waste. The activity encouraged creativity, teamwork, and important discussions around sustainability and protecting our environment. It was a fun and valuable experience that showed the children how even small actions can have a big impact.

The Earth picture we made has a great sea made from a blue plastic bag!

Ryan, D

It was lovely to get creative with our ideas for reusing and recycling plastic to make our art!

Eleanor, R

Tudor Houses

In 1666, London burnt like rotten sticks. We’d been singing songs for our production all about the Great Fire of London. We didn’t think we’d really get to see what happened during the Great Fire!

All of the houses were standing in a row. You could shake hands with your neighbours in 1666. Mr Butcher started the fire at one end of our London street and we watched the fire spread from house to house. We could see the wind blow the flames and it was amazing how quickly our street burnt to the ground.

I like it when the houses burnt down and the fire was growing and growing! Mr Butcher showed us what happened to the flames when it was really windy!

Zayna

Great Fire of London Workshop

Partake Theatre came to visit us this year to support with Year 1’s topic of The Great Fire of London. We dressed up as Londoners in 1666 and imagined we were living in London at the time. We learnt about how the plague was spread by rats and causing disease. We relived the events that Samuel Pepys recorded in his dairy, we really enjoyed throwing the buckets of water on the houses to put out the fire! Luckily, we managed to escape on the River Thames! We had a great time!

The Nativity

Year 2 finished the autumn term by taking part in their fantastic performance of ‘A Miracle in Town’

All of the children worked very hard learning the many songs which they sang beautifully during the performances. Each child spoke their words with loud, clear voices and enjoyed performing to their family. Our hall was transformed into a scene from Bethlehem with fantastic scenery and lots of twinkling lights. We had lots of interesting characters from Mary and Joseph, wandering wise men and cool camels! We even had special visitors from the local nursery come to watch. All of the parents and visitors had a wonderful time and joined in to a rousing version of ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’.

The Little Mermaid

Year 6 were up to lots of rehearsals and singing last week due to the play was happening very soon. They had catchy songs, wonderful dances and hilarious acts! The shows took place on Monday 24th, Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26 March. On Monday Aqua performed in front of Years 1, 4 and 3, and Coral performed in front of Years 2, 5 and Reception (Coral and Aqua were the two casts that Year 6 were split between.) They had lots of fun singing, and especially the choirs doing the ‘Under the Sea’ dance… that was amazing! This romantic production was a great success. th

When I first found out we were doing The Little Mermaid play, I was filled with so many emotions. I was beyond excited, but also very curious. I’d seen many plays before, and now it was finally my turn to be part of one. I couldn’t wait to find out which character I would play.

After the auditions, we received our parts. I was thrilled with mine—I was a mersister, a princess, and a tentacle! Rehearsals started off slowly, with us practicing everything step-by-step.

But as we memorized our lines, we began doing full runthroughs. At first, it was exhausting, but soon I got used to it. Then came the day of the performance and everyone was a bit anxious. First, it was Aqua’s turn to take the stage, thankfully everything went smoothly for them, and then it was my cast, Coral’s, turn. I was incredibly nervous at first, but the moment I stepped on stage, all my nerves seemed to float away, as smoothly as water. We started off strong… …and ended even stronger! Looking back, it was such an amazing experience. Everyone did an incredible job.

EYFS End of Year Showcase

Our EYFS Showcase was a wonderful celebration of our youngest learners and all they have achieved in their first year at School. The children impressed us with their confidence and enthusiasm as they proudly took to the stage, singing songs and speaking their lines with joy and clarity. The showcase beautifully reflected the learning journey they have been on through the year from learning to read and write, developing social skills, enhancing their creativity and fostering a love of learning. It was heartwarming to see how much they have grown, not just academically but also in confidence and independence. The children beamed with pride as they shared highlights from their year and the audience couldn’t help but smile along with them! It was a fitting celebration of a fantastic first year in School.

Year 1 End of Year Showcase

Year 1 sang, acted and danced their way through their ‘We Love London!’ performance. The audiences were taken on a tour of London landmarks - London Zoo, Pudding Lane, Paddington Station and Buckingham Palace in this amazing show! After a visit back in time to the Great Fire of London, the lovable Paddington Bear character was brought to life through some great descriptive writing, brilliant acting and a lively, original song. A fantastic, fun retelling of ‘The King’s Pants’ story followed and delighted the audience with welldelivered jokes and toe-tapping songs. The finale left everyone in the room uplifted and smiling. The energy, enthusiasm, and effort poured into the performance by every Year 1 pupil was evident in this celebration of London, and learning.

I did the ribbondance and acting –I loved it!

I loved saying my line and singing the songs.

Art & Creative Writing

‘Wow Week’ in Art

Duringtheautumnterm,theentireschool embracedcreativityduringourexcitingnew 'WowWeek,'wherestudentsexploredthe worldoftheinspirationalartistBridget Riley Fromvibrantgeometricpatternsto mesmerizingopticalillusions,studentsofall ageswereinspiredbyRiley'sgroundbreakingworkintheworldofart Theweek wasfilledwithhands-onactivities,allowing studentstoexperimentwithnewartistic techniquesanddiscoverthepowerofvisual artinawholenewwayalongwith researchinganddevelopingan understandingofthehistoryandlifeof BridgetRiley Itwasatrulymemorable experiencethatsparkedcreativityand deepenedourappreciationfor contemporaryart

Young Artist’s Competition 2025

AJourneyofCreativityandAchievement:Celebratingthetalentandpassionofouryoungartists,whose workshonebrightlyinthisyear’sYoungArtistCompetition,proudlyhostedbyTheRoyalAcademyof Arts.

Iwastrulyimpressedbytheincrediblevarietyandhighqualityofthisyear'sentries Fromsketchesand sculpturestopaintingsandcollages,thecreativityanddedicationdisplayedbythechildrenwereremarkable. It’sevidentthatsomuchtimeandeffortwentintoeachentry,showcasingtheirpassionforartandtheir uniqueperspectives

“Here'stotheartists,thedreamers,andthecreators yourjourneyhasjustbegun!"

Year 3 Art

THE WHITE CYLINDER

The glowing orb of fire stood high in the sky, radiating warmth onto Barnabus and the failed projects Every day, they played in the large world outside of their bell jars If you thought it, they could do it Barnabus was the leader: he found food and shelter, managing the team It was a life that they wouldn’t have imagined previously, only seeing the green suits coming and going carrying clipboards and pens It was the best life they could have lived, until one day, there was a storm Large winds and rain assembled forming a swirling grey mass of fury and rage The failed projects could no longer continue with their adventures, with some being blown away by the enormous gusts of wind. Barnabus and the other failed projects navigated through fences and across roads for shelter, before coming upon a large white cylinder with two large white wings. On the inside, it was scary, but better than the tornado-like whirlpools of the outside. Soon all the failed projects had congregated inside the cylinder. They were planning to leave after the storm, but without warning, the cylinder started moving. The door they entered from had now closed. It was petrifying. It rumbled and shook, before slowly tilting upwards towards the sky. The animals whimpered and growled in the rattling, echoey chamber. There were mutters of “I’m sick” and “Get me out!”, but only Barnabus heard the sound. It was a muffled deflating sound coming from somewhere in the other section of the cylinder. Everybody fell silent. It was another failed project. Barnabus remembered hearing it in the lab. Filled with determination, the failed projects crept through the small hole, into a large, bustling room of people sitting on large platforms looking at small rectangular devices. Without a sound, they tiptoed to the creature. Barnabus pinpointed the sound with his dish-like ears before they ran to the bag where the sound came from However, there was a problem Looming over them was a malevolent face in a green suit It tried to drive the failed projects away, but they persevered as a team, growling, snarling, biting and chirping, claiming the bag for themselves Slowly, the white cylinder descended from the sky, and the failed projects took their possession back to the dark but protected chamber Soon, it landed with a clunk, rolling along the long stretch of ash-grey ground The door opened, and the animals climbed out With caution, they opened the bag Surprisingly, it was Quirt, the green blob of slime they always saw in the lab As they looked around, the storm had gone! The failed projects (now including Quirt) continued the long days of playing in the rays of the burning hot sun, but there was now a subtle difference with their surroundings: the roads were busier, the weather was warmer, and there was no “Perfect Pets” pet shop. With this slightly odd change, the failed projects continued their life of fun in the world outside their jars.

T I T A N I U M P R E Q U E L

C O L E , H - R .

P a l m s s w e a t i n g , l e g s t r e m b l i n g , t u m m y

s w i r l i n g , I d r a g g e d m y l i f e l e s s l i t t l e b o d y

t o s c h o o l : I t w a s t h e d a y o f t h e E n g l i s h

t e s t I h a d b e e n d r e a d i n g e v e r s i n c e t e r m

h a d s t a r t e d . T h e o m i n o u s s k y l o o m e d

a b o v e ; i t s e e r i e p r e s e n c e c a s t i n g a d a r k

s h a d o w o v e r t h e l o c a l S h e r w o o d F o r e s t .

I c e l a y e r e d t h e c o l d s t o n e p a v e m e n t s ,

t i n g l i n g m y n o s e a n d e a r s . T e n s i o n h u n g

i n t h e a i r a n d n o t h i n g c o u l d b e h e a r d . N o t

e v e n t h e s i n g i n g o f t h e b i r d s

B e c a u s e o f t h i s , I d e c i d e d t o t a k e a

s h o r t c u t d o w n t h e l o c a l a l l e y w a y w h e r e

p r e c i p i t o u s t r e e s l o o m e d a b o v e . M y s o c k s ,

w h i c h i g o t f o r m y 5 t h b i r t h d a y w e r e

d r e n c h e d i n s o g g y c o l d w a t e r f r o m t h e

g r e y s k y a b o v e . W h y c a n ' t I b e l i k e t h e

o t h e r k i d s ?

G r a d u a l l y I d e s c e n d e d d e e p e r i n t o t h e

d a r k w o o d l a n d s . I t g r e w q u i e t e r . I t g r e w

e e r i e r . I t g r e w s c a r i e r . S u d d e n l y t h e r e

w a s a l o u d b a n g , f o l l o w e d b y a b r i g h t

f l a s h o f l i g h t M y v i s i o n w e n t b l a n k

D a z e d a n d n a u s e a s I w o k e u p t o b e

s u r r o u n d e d i t a p i t c h - b l a c k r o o m n o o n e

l u r k e d e x c e p t a t a l l , s t e r n m a n . H e w o r e

a l e a t h e r j a c k e t , a n d h i s f a c e w a s

d e c o r a t e d i n f r e c k l e s A p u f f o f s m o k e

e v a p o r a t e d f r o m t h e g r o u n d a n d i n t h e

b l i n k o f a n e y e h e v a n i s h e d .

S w e a t p o u r e d f r o m m y b r o w a n d m y h e a r t

t h u m p e d h a r d e r t h a n e v e r b e f o r e . M y

v i s i o n b l u r r e d a n d d i z z i n e s s c o n c u r r e d m y

f e t a l b o d y . I d r a g g e d m y s e l f t o m y f e e t .

M y p a l m s t i n g l e d a n d l i g h t b u r n e d o u t o f

m y m o u t h . I l o o k e d a t m y w a t c h o h d e a r i t

w a s 8 : 1 9 ! S c h o o l s t a r t e d i n f i v e m i n u t e s !

I p e l t e d f o r w a r d a n d r e a l i z e d I h a d

t r e k k e d m i l e s i n j u s t s e c o n d s ! W h a t h a d

j u s t h a p p e n e d ? W a s I s t i l l h u m a n ?

W h a t e v e r h a d h a p p e n e d i n t h a t r o o m I

k n e w i t w a s n ' t n o r m a l a n d i k n e w i t h a d

d o n e s o m e t h i n g t o m e I k n o w I ' m i n

t r o u b l e . R e a l t r o u b

l e . . .

Ingram Cup Competition - Henry A - Year 6

The Ingram Cup is my all time favourite musical event of the year. It is an amazing way to let out inner musicianship for both me and others in all of the year groups.

The competition consists of two main stages. In the preliminary stage, all children are encouraged to play their pieces or sing their songs to Mr Corin. A decision is made for 10 pupils per year group to go through to the finals. In the finals the selected musicians perform in the Recital Hall. The Wilfred Horsley Award for the most outstanding performance was awarded to Cameron A, and Balls were awarded the Ingram Cup.

This year there were 210 entries, which is the vast majority of the Junior School. Following the Finals, the school community from Year 2 to Year 6 were treated to a finalists recital, which involved the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners from each year group. Each performance hopes to inspire the next generation of musicians.

We are ever thankful to our adjudicator, Miss Claire Weston for her expert judging. She is Ed Sheeran’s first singing teacher; she loved visiting us from Suffolk! I really enjoyed performing ‘Not while I’m around’ from Sweeney Todd, it was the most amazing experience performing in front of both adults and fellow Year 6 peers - it really helps to build confidence whilst performing.

Choral Festival Article

The first ever event made just for the Nottingham High School choirs! Led by Abi Moore, this was an amazing experience that inspired the creation of the Junior School Barbershop Quartet. The workshop day itself gave the Junior Chamber Choir the opportunity to receive a masterclass on two core vocal works. We were then taught a brand new song aurally, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Year 4 Brass and Woodwind Project

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different woodwind and brass instruments because there is such a wide variety. Due to the amount of contrast between the instruments, I found that I was able to find something that I really enjoyed. My favourite instrument was the trumpet because it was fun to play, mainly because of all of the different notes that you can play! The experience of learning the trumpet was very exciting because it is something that I have never tried before!

Sammuel, G

The concert consisted of a whole school part song called Great Day, the Chamber Choirs of both the Junior and Senior Choirs and a selection of chamber vocal ensembles. The calibre was so high that I couldn’t pick a favourite choir! Everyone had a wonderful time being a part of the coming together of all the vocal talent present in our school.

This was a really great event to take part of in my last year at the Junior School.

Henry, A 6H

Spring Concert Report

This year’s Spring Concert was one of the best! It included a wide variety of ensembles performing a variety of pieces. From strings, to woodwind, to brass, to percussion - there was a performance for everyone to enjoy. The audience participated in a collaborative section with the String Ensemble. I was fortunate enough to play violin in this group, performing ‘Sword Dance’ and ‘Jazzy Beat.’

This concert inspired me to compose a piece of music for the Harp Ensemble. It is wonderful that the opportunity has allowed me to both perform as well as gain inspiration to be a composer - a wonderful experience!

Henry, A 6H

Year

3 and 4 Choir

- Benedict C and

Khush

M - Year 4

We have enjoyed Year 3 and 4 Choir as we have practised and sung lots of songs such as songs from Moana and Matilda the Musical. I also have enjoyed Year 3 and 4 Choir because we all sing like a family group in unison enjoying every second of it!

Djembe Beatz - Zayn M - Year 3

Djembe Beatz is a really fun activity where percussion comes to life and enjoyment rustles around the room! I really enjoy taking part as it’s something that all children can take part in. We perform our pieces and compositions to our friends and family. I would recommend this ensemble to everyone as it’s great fun to create music with your friends, you won’t regret coming!

Chamber Choir - Bella C - Year 4

Singing in the Chamber Choir is not just good fun, it’s also very rewarding! It’s a real team effort and we get to learn and sing lots of different songs from many contrasting genres. I adore hearing the applause we receive when performing in front of people. I especially enjoy singing in front of big crowds, such as at the Summer Concert and Founder's Day.

Woodwind Ensemble - Adam A - Year 4

I adore playing the clarinet in Woodwind Ensemble. The clarinet is a great instrument that is both challenging and rewarding to play, I couldn’t recommend it more.

Brass Ensemble - Rex C - Year 5

I play the trumpet, and relish the chance to play it whenever I can in school. Brass Ensemble is fun, it is great to play instruments together with other and constantly make progress both on my own and with other players of brass instruments.

String Ensemble - Max M and Niko KYear 6

I love String Ensemble as it improves my violin skills as I get a bit more practice time whilst still having fun with my mates. Another great thing about it is that I get to spend time with more advanced and less capable players which allows me to gain more experience. I think it's a great experience for stringed instrumentalists.

Our string ensemble conductor, Miss Nordridzh, is amazing and encourages us to be the best we can be each rehearsal. The players are no different: they are very supportive and welcome every new member. We play a wide variety of pieces, which means that everyone gets to have a favourite!

Swing Band - Dominic S - Year 6

I've really enjoyed learning how to improvise and put my own spin on a piece, while keeping the feel of the original. I love the feeling of playing with other people and creating music together. I like working with other year groups and helping new members enjoy the band.

Year 5 and 5 Choir - Taran L - Year 5

Year 5 and 5 Choir is one of my highlights of the week. A large majority of my friends sing with me in the group. We love to sing lots of different songs and perform using our voices to the whole school!

Harp

Ensemble

- Roshini U - Year 4

I enjoy harp ensemble because when it’s a great chance to put together all of the practice that we have done as individuals. Mrs Ford is always pleased with our hard work! I am always excited to begin learning new pieces in Harp Ensemble, the sound of something brand new is really something to relish! Every member of the Harp Ensemble is proud to be a part of this thriving group, it is brilliant that so many pupils learn the harp at our school – I am proud that I am involved!

Ensembles

Christmas Carol Concert

At this year’s Christmas Carol Concert, following a successful audition, I had the pleasure of singing the opening verse of Once In Royal David’s City as a solo. I performed from the balcony of the Player Hall, which was extremely exciting!

The theme for this year’s event was Christmas traditions. As in past years, the tradition to write a short poem or speech based on that theme was upheld by the whole Junior School community.

The Years 3&4 Choir, Years 5&6 Choir, Junior Chamber Choir as well as the Staff Choir sang an amazing variety of choral works, impressing the audience with amazement!

This was one of my favourite days of the year!

Henry, A 6H

ABRSM Exams

Taking an ABRSM exam is a way to showcase everything you’ve prepared by performing live for an examiner. The examiner listens to your playing, judges your performance, and then gives you your results. Sometimes, especially if it’s your first exam, you might feel a bit nervous! To combat nerves, I like to imagine I’m just at home playing as normal which helps me stay calm and relaxed. What you do in the exam can depend on the instrument you’re learning. For example, in my piano practice exams, I need to do aural tests, but in drum performance exams, there is more of a focus on preparing rudiments. I strongly believe that taking an ABRSM exam is a good experience to have under your belt, the exams help shape me to grow as a confident musician.

Ethan, Z.

Grandparent’s Sing Along

IJS Orchestral Morning

This year we had our first ever IJS Orchestral Morning. The whole of Year 2 played violins and cellos, the whole of Year 4 played trumpets, flutes, clarinets and ukuleles. The Junior School Orchestra joined forces with the Concert Band from the Senior School to create a wonderful performance of ‘Yellow Submarine’ by the Beetles. An excellent opportunity for collaboration and cross site music making!

Teatime Concerts

Our School showcases an annual recital series for all of the different instrumental groups, brass, woodwind, strings and percussion. I was so delighted to be a performer in the string recital this year.

On the 28th April, all the string players readied their bows and stood up their harps. I was so excited, it was my first time ever in a teatime concert! Each person had the opportunity to play a piece of their choice that they had prepared in advance with their instrumental teacher.

The recital lasted roughly one and a half hours and was very fun to watch. I had the benefit of watching all of the other performers and also seeing a vast array of purely string-based pieces! I really enjoyed some of the older violinists' performances, they had wonderful dynamics and everyone was so confident as well as proud to be playing. Towards the end of the concert, two students and two parents came together to form a string quartet - it was excellent to see family collaboration through the medium of music. My own performance was on the violin and in first position, I felt confident as I had been working hard on preparing this piece for both the concert and the Ingram Cup competition. My advice to future violinists would be to definitely take up the opportunity to take part, I will definitely participate again on future occasions.

Seher, S.

Summer Music Festival

I loved being a part of the Summer Festival! This year we all got to sing and or play on one main stage on the front lawns. The event has such a great atmosphere, and it’s just the most wonderful way to end the term. All of our Junior School ensembles and choirs gave top quality performances! I also really liked listening to all of the rock bands, choirs and other groups from the Senior School. We love our music at IJS!

Year 2 Strings

It is amazing that I have had the chance to learn both the violin and the cello this year. Mrs Nortridzh and Mr Miller are wonderful teachers. It is very fun to place a string instrument, we have learnt so many different pieces this year. I’m looking forward to choosing an instrument to learn soon.

Leo, F.

This month, Nottingham's theatre scene made a big splash with The Little Mermaid musical performances lighting up the stage! From shimmering costumes to toe-tapping tunes like "Under the Sea" and "Part of Your World," audiences were swept away into Ariel's magical underwater kingdom.

Young actors brought the beloved characters to life — Ariel’s curiosity, Sebastian’s sass, and Ursula’s wicked charm had the crowd cheering, laughing, and sometimes gasping! The stage was transformed into an ocean dreamscape with bubble effects, clever lighting, and colourful set designs that made every scene sparkle.

“The show was a huge hit with families, it was good to be part of such a lovely show, I loved Flounder and the singing fish!” said Aryaman, age 10.

If you missed it, don’t worry — more magical musicals are coming soon. But The Little Mermaid left waves of joy behind and reminded us all that dreams really are better "where the people are."

Aryaman, G.

Swimming gala v Ratcliffe College November 2024

On Tuesday 26th November, there was great excitement at NHIJS as it was the first away fixture for the Swimming U10 and U11 boys and girls swimming teams for this season. We had several children for Year 4 swimming up and age group but despite a few nerves, everybody really rose to the occasion, especially those who were filling in for absent pupils at last minute. The support for one another was phenomenal and such a pleasure to see the older children supporting and encouraging the Year Fours. The races were fantastic to watch, with everyone putting 100% effort into every single race. The races and scores were incredibly close, with the final few races being the decider! The final score was 114 points to Ratcliffe and 116 points to NHIJS-the closest it has ever been! Well done to all of the swimmersa great team effort! Thank you to Ratcliffe for making us feel welcome as always and providing such excellent competition-we always look forward to our galas against Ratcliffe.

Swimming gala v Ratcliffe College January 2025

Swimmers from the A and B U11 and U10 boys and girls teams were very excited to be representing the school at a home gala against Ratcliffe College. It was a great opportunity for lots of the swimmers from the Swimming Club lunchtime squad to represent the school in a competitive environment and also to have a practise for the IAPS regional round (with plenty of 50m races!)

We knew from our previous away fixture that it was going to be a great gala with some very close races (we won the away fixture by one point!)

Final scores:

B team results: NHIJS: 24 points

Ratcliffe: 23 points

A team results: NHIJS: 104 points

Ratcliffe: 113 points

Overall: NHIJS: 128 points

Ratcliffe: 136 points

Superb racing from everyone involved and a great, supportive atmosphere. Particularly well done to our U9 swimmers who swam up and age group.

IAPS Swimming gala at Repton School

In early March, our U10 and 11 Boys and Girls Swimming teams travelled to Repton School to represent our school in the National IAPS swimming competition This was just one of the 30 regional rounds of Independent Schools taking place up and down the country The competition at Repton is getting stronger every year with nine independent schools attending this year and over 150 swimmers-the atmosphere was amazing! There was some fantastic swimming in all of the events-all of our team swum so well, against very strong competition and it was pleasing to see a number of our swimmers gaining personal bests. All of our swimmers were exceedingly well behaved, polite and well mannered towards everyone they met and super supportive of each other in their races. Well done, everyone-a great gala!

Final results from the IAPS Swimming Competition

After participating the regional round in March this year, all of the swimming times from all of the regional rounds all over the country were ranked and here are the highlights: George Z qualified for the national finals on Saturday 7th June for Butterfly (16th out of 95; top 20 go through).

Everyone else did really well against incredibly tough competition; special mentions to: Yash V for gaining 27th place out of 179 (missed out on qualifying by less than a second66 milli seconds!) Yash got 34.66!).

Also, the U11 boys team performed extremely well-the medley team came 36th out of 134 teams (just three seconds from qualifying) and the U11 boys freestyle relay team came 34th out of 151! (only two seconds off of qualifying!)

Well done, everyone, and good luck to George on Saturday 7th June at the London Aquatics Centre!

ESSA Regional 2025

At the end of April, our four fastest swimmers for the Girls and Boys teams travelled to Repton School for the East Midlands regional round of ESSA (England’s Schools Swimming Association). All of the children were excited about the gala and were keen to perform well against what we knew would be very strong competition. It was a relays only eventmedley and freestyle, so it was important to do well against the stopwatch. There were 8 schools in the Girls category and 7 schools in the Boys category.

Everyone swam exceedingly well, with many pupils gaining some of their fastest times. Our Boys team performed particularly well, coming third in both the medley relay and then knocked an amazing 9 seconds off of their practice time and came first in the freestyle relay event! As they were in the top 3 for each event, the boys team have qualified for the National Finals at Ponds Forge on Saturday 14th June! The boys were presented with pens and medals by Jacob Mills who has represented Great Britain in several international swimming competitions-an amazing added bonus to a wonderful afternoon of swimming!

Swimming report for the Inter-House Swimming gala, 2025

We all felt very privileged to be a part of the Yr 5 and 6 Inter House Swimming gala at the end of the first half term for a variety of reasons. All of the children who participated were amazing-many stood in voluntarily for others who were unable to swim, the races themselves were often very close and not one, not two but THREE new school records were set, firstly by Yash V for 25m of Butterfly, George Z for the IM and Tonkin’s House for the Freestyle Cup!

Final results of the Yr 5 and 6 gala:

Hardy’s House won the Lovett Cup (medley relay trophy)

Tonkin’s House won the Freestyle Cup (freestyle relay)

Individual cup winners (and also receive a medal):

Sophie, H won the Cox trophy (50m backstroke)

Max M won the Axtell cup (50m breaststroke)

Jia S won the Monaghan Cup (50m freestyle)

George Z also won the Pell cup for 100m Individual Medley and all participants were awarded with extra honour points and medals for participating in this testing event: Joshua S, Yash V and Ellie W.

Other individual winners who also receive medals:

Yash V for winning the Yr 5/6 25m Butterfly

Edward L for winning Yr 5 25m Backstroke

Musa A for Yr 6 25m Backstroke

Benjamin R for Yr 5 Breaststroke

Arlo J for Yr 6 25m Breaststroke

Aarya L for Yr 5 25m Freestyle

Enzo l for Yr 25m Freestyle

Final scores:

1st Hardy’s House with 103 points

Kwik Cricket vs NGHS

U9 Cricket A Team vs Ranby House

U9 Cricket vs Twycross House

U10 Area Cricket Champions

Girls Area Cricket Competiton

U10 Cricket vs Hill House

U11 IAPS Cricket vs Ratcliffe College

U11 County Cricket Champions

U11 Area Champions

Football, Partnership Cross Country & Boccia

City Football Champions

Girls’ Football County Cup

Partnership Cross Country

U9 Boccia

Athletics

County

Schools’ Cross Country Championships

It was a very suspenseful journey, yet me and my friends still enjoyed it. I sat next to Miranda for our 1 hour journey to Mount St Mary's college. As soon as we got there, Mr Tucker led us off the bus and we went to warm up for our different races. I started by doing 1 warm up sprint for 100m. Together me and Miranda also did a lap around the track to feel even warmer. The competition started with the 1500m people going first, I felt exhausted only watching them. We also met some people from other schools, which was nice. Then came my 100m sprint, I was so nervous, but Mr Tucker was very good at helping me feel calm and collected. BANG! The gun went we were off. As soon as i finished, I didn't know where I was in the race until the lady said, “Nottingham High School, 1 ". I was delighted until Mr Tucker told me that I qualified. Joy filled inside me. I was amazed. It was an amazing trip with Mr Tucker taking us and my friends and me rooting each other in the different races and events.

Rugby

Year 6 Rugby Team

Touch Rugby Festival

U11 Rugby at Ratcliffe College

Touch Rugby Festival

On Friday 28th February, six Y3 and Y4 teams travelled to Loughborough to play Fairfield School at Netball. We had been working hard all Netball season and we played very well as a team in the matches. My favourite part was playing in a team with my friends and being able to get to know the Fairfield players after the game. Thank you to Mr Abdy and all the teachers who came to support us.

Y4 Netball at Fairfield

Year 4 Netball at Derby High

House Climbing & Summer Festival

House Climbing

Summer Festival

House Tug of War

An amazing House event started this year!  This event is the first one to have a four-way tie between all the Houses! This House event was an unusual one since it doesn't usually happen but this year, it was resurrected. Let's see from the different Houses points of view.

Treases

The first match was hard because everyone was buzzing to win their first game so we knew it would be a tough challenge, sadly we lost but despite that we carried on trying which the older Year 6 peers were proud to see. The Year 6 and 5 record levelling team were unstoppable winning all their games.     Henry, S.

Hardy’s

The highlight of Hardy’s tug of war was the Year 5/6’s Vs Tonkins 5/6’s, this was the 2nd to last match of the event, but the last match for Hardy’s House. As it started, Tonkins cruised ahead and were on the brink of winning, but just as they were about to win, we pulled so hard that we were on the brink of winning now, and we did which meant we were joint 1st. All the matches were very tight overall.

Aryan, B.

Balls

The first match of 2025 was 3/4 Balls vs Tonkins it was a tight match, but balls got off to a good start and snatched away that win. COME ON YOU, BALLS! Then came the big guns Year 5/6 this was tight, but Treases won every game for Year 5/6. Overall, it was a great competition to compete in, and it is a complete workout.

Joshua, S.

Tonkins

My favourite match was the 4th to last game overall because we all did a different strategy and we ended up winning. We all tugged as hard as we could and then stopped for a short time repeatedly.

Waaris, K.

Hockey

Hockey at Ratcliffe College

U10 Hockey at The Elms

Year 5 Hockey 2 at Ratcliffe College

Year 5 Hockey at Ratcliffe College

Year 6 Hockey at Ratcliffe College