Prep School High News Summer 2023

HighNews

Prep and Pre-School

Portsmouth High School GDST

By Stepney Green

A truly memorable experience for Year 6

Year 6 pupils shone on stage and gave a tremendous performance of their play By Stepney Green, to parents, family and friends over two nights.

Written and directed by their teacher, Dr David Barrett, the play was set in early July 1944 when the Germans unleashed their latest horror on the people of London: the doodlebug.

‘The play was really amazing and exciting to perform. I was nervous and excited at the same time, said Arella. ‘I really tried my best on stage but it was hard to stay in character and not break into a massive smile.’

Emily-May said ‘I’ve really enjoyed rehearsing for the play as I had the perfect number of lines. Practising the songs and dances was great fun. I love being a drama prefect and helping to change the

scenes. It has been such an amazing experience being part of this play.’

‘Everything worked like clockwork and it was so exciting, but tiring. It was a truly memorable experience for Year 6 and felt like an adventure,’ added Jessie and Natasha.

Director Dr Barrett said ‘I am very proud of the girls, who worked really well as a team to produce outstanding performances. The script and direction were difficult enough to challenge far older children, but this cast took it all in their stride and acted like true professionals.’

Since the last edition of High News the school has been as busy as usual enjoying a huge range of activities and taking the opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom.

The Year 6 cast of their musical By Stepney Green entertained to a full house of parents and guests which showcased pupils’ musical talent and acting skills. The Year 3 and 4 play, The Emerald Crown, was a huge success enjoyed by all and fitted well with the Coronation celebrations.

Trips are back in the curriculum and examples of visits include GDST Sing, a combination of GDST schools performing at Woolwich Works, London, and a residential trip to Avon Tyrell for Year 3 not to mention a music tour to Bath High School one of our sister schools.

Sport has featured highly and PHS celebrated taking part in many tournaments including a residential trip to Condover Hall to play netball against other GDST schools.

School celebrated Eco Week with a focus on our efforts towards sustainability and World Book Day was marked with many costumes from literature.

Another successful and thoroughly enjoyable term.

Jane Prescott Headmistress

The prep school Year 6 Play

...a crash course in just about everything

Every girl in Year 6 gets excited about the annual musical production. They know it will be hard work but they are motivated by the memories of previous Year 6 plays they have seen, and they just want to get on that stage and show everyone what they can do.

The first few rehearsals, however, come as something of a shock to many of the pupils. They very quickly learn that rehearsing for a play requires immense self-discipline and dedication. They are shown how to mark up their scripts like professionals and the significance of directorial decisions is explained in detail. The drama prefects are assistant directors, learning how to keep the prompt book, recording all the details of the scene’s often quite complex blocking (all the movement around the stage; and entrances and exits). The girls are encouraged to analyse their characters’ actions, motivation and words in order to inhabit the character.

We like our girls to take risks. Performing a complex script and lyrics from memory in front of a live audience requires an abundance of self-confidence. There is every chance that something could go wrong or that one of the actors may freeze. Each pupil is relying on her peers to play their part, providing the rehearsed cue line or passing a prop. If the worst happens, problem-solving and quick thinking always provide a solution, and the moment passes with the audience remaining in blissful ignorance.

The theatrical experience allows the girls the chance to collaborate, share ideas and

combine the strengths of all the cast, working as a team. By the time the performance is reached, the girls are working together like a welloiled machine, each playing their part and contributing to the success of the show. The desire to ‘get it right on the night’ is a powerful driving force, enabling the cast to achieve excellence.

Drama allows the girls to express a range of emotions which might otherwise remain buried, waiting for a momentous explosion. Tension, aggression, and excitement may be released in a controlled environment and without fear of censure. Rehearsals are hard work and require dedication, but are always fun. The rehearsal room is a place of concentration, camaraderie, and laughter (the best release valve for stress). There is genuine peer to

peer praise for all the little moments of success which are celebrated, culminating in the final rehearsals, where the pinnacle of success is achieved.

In my experience, there is only one downside to all of this: the withdrawal symptoms and sense of loss felt by the cast once the high adrenaline levels of the ‘last night’ have subsided and the exhaustion kicks in. It is always a good idea to arrange for some exciting distractions for children at the end of a show week to ease the transition back into a performance free schedule.

Dr David Barrett Year 6 Teacher

The inspection was a Focused Compliance Inspection combined with an Educational Quality Inspection. The school met all the required standards in the Focused Compliance Inspection and was judged excellent across all areas in the Educational Quality Inspection. The full report is available on the school website.

Our school is dedicated to creating a setting where children are encouraged to be their best selves and build their confidence and self-esteem.

Creating a positive and supportive environment is essential for children to build confidence and self-esteem. At Portsmouth High Prep School, we strive to foster an atmosphere that encourages children to be the best version of themselves. The school offers a range of activities and programmes designed to help children develop their confidence and self-esteem. For example, we have the ‘big sisters’ twice a week, where Year 10 pupils visit our environment and build relationships with the younger girls. This helps them to feel connected and

supported as well as being fun.

We have a wide variety of clubs and activities that encourage children to have fun and explore their interests. This allows them to develop skills and build a sense of accomplishment. We also believe in a values-based education, which teaches children to be respectful, responsible, and resilient. There is a strong focus on character development, which helps children to recognise their strengths and weaknesses and learn how to use them in a positive way. In

addition, our school provides opportunities for children to take risks and try new things. This helps them to build resilience and become more independent.

Overall, our school is dedicated to creating a setting where children are encouraged to be their best selves and build their confidence and self-esteem. Through our activities, programmes, and a strong learning environment, we strive to help children become independent and resilient individuals.

Paul Marshallsay, Headmaster of Portsmouth High Prep and Pre-School reflects on the best ways to enable children to become the best version of themselves

Helping children become the best version of themselves

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

As the Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) practitioner in the Prep School, I always get excited to register our school for Neurodiversity Celebration Week. This is an opportunity for us to recognise and celebrate the unique abilities and strengths of our neurodiverse students.

Neurodiversity is a concept that embraces the idea that neurological differences, such as Autism, ADHD, and Dyslexia, are a natural part of human diversity. These differences are not deficits, but rather strengths that can be utilised and celebrated.

During Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we have been hosting a range of activities and events to promote awareness and understanding of neurodiversity. These activities included classroom discussions, a special assembly, Kahoots, talks about neurodiversity, and stories relevant to children from Pre-School to Year 6.

Our aim is to create an inclusive and supportive environment where all students feel valued and respected. We want our students to understand that being different is not a negative thing, but rather a unique aspect of their identity that should be celebrated.

As parents, we encourage you to talk to your children about neurodiversity and embrace the differences they may see in their peers. We want to promote a culture of acceptance and respect, where all students are valued for their individuality.

Prep School Eco Week

During Eco Week the children explored the topic of sustainability with great enthusiasm. The week began with some hotly contested Year 6 interhouse debates on whether climate change was the biggest issue facing us right now and whether international air travel should be banned.

Eco content was taught across the curriculum, including calculating fractions with our batteries heading for recycling, writing news reports and play scripts from the perspective of living things affected by climate change, making wanted posters for the last wolf on earth, and planting seeds. The whole school has also written thank you notes to the earth, to showcase the things we value most on our planet.

Each lunchtime, any food waste was emptied into labelled house bins and the wastage weighed at the end of the week. This raised awareness of what we are wasting and there was much food for thought as to how we could substantially reduce the amount of food being thrown away.

Learning Support Practitioner, Mrs Hannah Cells

Celebrating a love of books on World Book Day

Pre-School children looking wonderful for their World Book Day group picture

It was a glorious morning at the prep school when staff and pupils celebrated all things books and stories. Pupils dressed up as their favourite characters and spent the day in their costumes.

Books play a huge part of the daily lives at our school and pupils from the very youngest in pre-school right up to Year 6 enjoy listening to and reading books together.

All year groups have a dedicated library lesson each week with the school’s librarian to enhance their reading and enjoyment of books.

Helping to Save the Rainforest

Years 3 and 4 took to the stage and gave a fantastic performance of their play, The Emerald Crown, to highlight the plight of rainforests around the world.

Pupils took to the stage to save the rainforest from ruthless highwaymen intent on destroying trees for profit with no thought for preserving the wonderful habitat for future generations.

Local wildlife, led by rapping toucans, decided to teach the profiteers a lesson by luring them on a perilous journey through the jungle. The lesson learned was that, once removed, rainforest treasure becomes worthless.

Celebrating the King’s Coronation

Prep School pupils celebrate the coronation of King Charles III

Coronation celebrations started at Portsmouth High Prep School with a celebratory picnic lunch on the grass in the school gardens. After a delicious lunch, everyone made their own crowns, with some spectacular and colourful results. Crown making was followed by a coronation parade in the hall to showcase everyone’s hard work and creativity.

Three coronation bears were won by lucky winners whose names were chosen randomly by an electronic wheel. A happy and fun-filled afternoon was had by all and it was the perfect start to the country’s bank holiday weekend of celebrations.

Budding musical talent on show

Making music at the prep school

Talented young musicians at Portsmouth High Prep School made their mark at this year’s Young Musician of the Year 2023.

After a week of auditions, the final showcased lots of budding talent and we send many congratulations both to the winners and to all those who took part.

Director of Music at the prep school, Mrs Becky Hill, said ‘I am so proud of all the girls who have taken part today. This year’s competition has been more popular than ever and there were over 200 entries for the auditions this week.’

‘Our external judges, Mrs Estelle Flood, a retired former Director of Music at a Oaklands Catholic School, and her daughter Verity, who studied trumpet and cornet at the Royal Northern College of Music and has just returned from teaching ‘Brass for Africa’ in Uganda, have had an immensely difficult task today. Congratulations to our winners and to all the girls who have taken part this week.’

Young Musician of the Year 2023 - Taha Year 6

Young Musician Runner-Up - Emily-May Year 6

Junior Young Musician Cup - Meenakhi Year 4

Pre-Prep Young Musician Award - Emily Year 2

Music tour to Bath for young prep school musicians

Pupils from Years 3 to 6 travelled to The Royal High School, Bath for a fabulous music tour combined with two days of sightseeing.

On the first day the group had a stunning tour of the Roman Baths. They talked about Bath Abbey, ate free fudge, watched it being made (the smell was delicious) and bought a lot more to take home. A filming location for Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’ was found followed by delicious pizza.

On the second day the musicians travelled to The Royal High Prep School. After a three-hour rehearsal and a delicious lunch, the group performed in a wonderful, joyous concert with 17 of the Royal High girls, co-directed by Mrs Hill and Royal High Prep School’s Director of Music, Mrs Millard.

The concert featured four orchestral pieces, three choral performances and a variety of instrumental solos featuring Year 6 pupils. Special thanks go to The Royal High staff and girls for their warm welcome and to the families and friends who travelled to Bath to support the girls. Two wonderful days.

Mrs Becky Hill Prep School Director of Music

Portsmouth High School is very proud of the tradition of music-making at the prep school from individual participation in class lessons to ensembles. There are ten visiting peripatetic music teachers who are able to provide a range of instrumental and vocal lessons, including drums, brass, woodwind, strings, piano and singing. The school has an excellent pass rate for external examinations from Trinity, ABRSM and Rock School syllabuses. ABRSM and Trinity examinations are hosted at the senior school.

Girls from Reception through to Year 6 participate in instrumental lessons. A love of music is fostered right from pre-school; with children enjoying weekly lessons from a specialist teacher. Recorder lessons start in Years 1 and 2, and violin and clarinet lessons in Year 3. At the present time 89% of the girls are learning an instrument in school, and 38% are learning two or more instruments.

The Chamber Choir and Little Voices meet each week for rehearsals and twentytwo girls regularly attend the school orchestra.

Taha

Emily-May

Meenakhi

Emily

Learning without limits with the GDST

Pupils at GDST schools have unique opportunities to take part in a wide variety of prestigious events designed to enhance the learning experience across the curriculum. Here is a taste of some of the recent events.

A group of Year 5 pupils had a fantastic time at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. They were there for the GDST Science Conference which included bangs, mess, extracting DNA and inspirational talks from female scientists.

Prep school musicians and their teachers left school very early to travel up to Woolwich, in some very foggy conditions, for the GDST Junior Sing Event when more than 300 talented singers from eight GDST schools came together.

The day was led by Mrs Ruth Coles, the Director of Music at Blackheath High School, who invited the composer, Lin Marsh and a former star of the ‘Stomp’ stage show, Ollie Tunmer, to direct singing and body percussion workshops.

The day went very quickly, and the girls sang through the chosen work Along Came Man, improvised body percussion with Ollie, and listened to the incredible musicians. The day culminated in an evening performance for parents at Woolwich Works, London.

The concert was incredible, and all the pupils sang and moved with energy and professionalism. It was a delight that Headmaster Mr Marshallsay, parents and grandparents were able to watch the performance in Woolwich. After a long journey home the musicians arrived back feeling very tired, but also really happy to have taken part in such a special day and performance.

Pupils from Year 5 travelled to London for an exciting day at the GDST Drama Day at The Globe Theatre.

The day started with a tour of the theatre itself, including the unique opportunity to stand on the stage and perform lines from Shakespeare. Following on from this, pupils took part in a drama workshop led by actors from The Globe Theatre Company which enabled them to explore Shakespeare’s language, character and themes through lively, physical activities.

Perhaps the highlight of the day took place in the Sam Wanamaker playhouse, an amazing replica of an Elizabethan theatre, complete with candlelit lighting.

The girls experienced the intriguing story of Hamlet in an exhilarating live storytelling event: Hamlet’s father had died, and he felt like the sun was forever behind the clouds. No one else seemed to care. They were all excited about the new King, his uncle, who Hamlet’s mother has just married. But who was the ghost stalking the castle battlements? And what was Hamlet going to do about it all?

‘To be, or not to be, that is the question.’ - Act 3, scene 1.

Dr Barrett and Mrs Parrott

Lessons at the Royal Institution for Year 5

Drama workshop at The Globe Theatre

Performing with ‘Stomp’ stage show star

Sport

Competing in high level sport

Having already taken part in the GDST U11 football and swimming events earlier in the year, there were further opportunities to compete in the annual U11 Netball tournament, at Condover Hall near Shrewsbury, and the U11 Cross Country championships in Bromley.

Netball

Sixteen pupils from Years 5 and 6 travelled to Shropshire for an exciting weekend of netball and outdoor activities, including abseiling, zip wire, tunnelling and assault courses. The A team fought hard on the first day, achieving 3 wins and 3 losses and were delighted to progress through to the Cup for the second day, eventually finishing joint 9th nationally.

The B team achieved 2 wins in their round-robin competition and enjoyed the experience of playing against very good opposition. The whole squad made great progress as individuals and within their teams, and a great deal was learnt by all the pupils in terms of how to improve their performance on court.

Cross Country

Six pupils from Years 5 and 6 were delighted to head to Bromley to run in the GDST cross country. Snowy and wet weather made for a very muddy course but all the contestants participated with commitment and enthusiasm.

Well done to all our resilient runners, but especially to Beatrice and Harriet in Year 6, and Dolly in Year 5, who all achieved places in the top 40 runners, with Beatrice the best PHS runner, finishing 22nd overall in the U11 event.

An inclusive sport programme provides unique opportunities at both entry level and in high level competitive sport.

Years 3 and 4 have enjoyed cricket training this term and are working hard to raise their skill level for competitive play.

Trip to see Surrey Storm play

Thirty-four pupils from Years 3 to 6 went to watch Surrey Storm play netball against Leeds Rhinos in the final pre-season match for the 2023 Netball Superleague.

A truly incredible experience was had by all, with fastpaced and skilful play throughout, and Storm taking the match by 62 goals to 46. The highlight of the trip was getting to meet many of the players, and having photos and autographs signed.

Adventures outside the classroom...

Year 3 loaded their bags onto the minibuses full of excitement for their first residential to Avon Tyrrell in The New Forest. The weather forecast was not good, but this failed to dampen enthusiasm.

On arrival the first activities were either archery or den building. At first arrows flew in lots of directions, but pupils improved and some even scored in the gold. Groups worked well together in the den building session. Girls put mud in the gaps to protect from the weather and keep dry.

After a delicious lunch it was time for the next activity, the high ropes. Pupils showed determination and courage climbing the trees, walking across poles, hanging upside down and walking in the air attached to their harnesses.

The high ropes generated a healthy appetite for supper, and afterwards everyone headed off for songs and games around the campfire. Luckily the rain held off and the groups gathered sticks and used them to toast marshmallows over the fire. A good night’s sleep was had by everyone and staff even had to wake some rooms so they could pack and be ready for breakfast.

Activities on the final day were the tree top trail and low ropes which was a team building session when pupils were tasked with getting across a lava lake using planks.

Mieko in Year 3 said ‘I liked the low ropes best because you had to work as a team and when we were in the trees we all supported each other when some sections seemed a bit scary.

‘I enjoyed the tree top trail’, said Belle. ‘There were lots of zip wires. It was high up but I felt safe and everyone got braver as time went on.’

The Venture Award is one of the highlights for girls in Years 5 and Year 6.

The award is split into several categories, the first being evidence of a commitment to a sport or exercise activity for at least six weeks. The second area is helping others, and this has led to many of the girls finding ways to assist the younger members of the school or older relatives at home. The third category is learning something new, which has proved to be the most difficult for many in terms of ideas. Our girls have such varied and busy lives that finding and fitting in something completely new is challenging which, of course, is the essence of the award.

Perhaps the most exciting element is the expedition, a particular focus of which are geographical skills. The girls work in teams, learn about map reading and contours, put up tents, cook their dinner and spend the night under canvas. The four C’s from the Explorers’ curriculum are used throughout the award. Pupils will need to be confident, courageous, composed and committed if they are going to complete the entire programme. They will also need to be independent as it is their responsibility to ensure that they succeed in each area without constant input from adults.

The sun was shining for pupils to spend the whole day learning outside at the Tuppeny Barn Education Centre.

Pupils had a tasting session in the polytunnels and learned about sustainability. They visited the bee hives and learned how important bees are to us and our environment. They made seeds bombs, planted strawberry plants and made clay insects and paper pots. A wonderful day was had by all.

Reception Class learn outdoors

Prep school news in brief...

An early start for careers support

Careers support starts early at Portsmouth High School. In PHSE lessons pupils look at the topic of money and work and also have a careers workshop with the Head of Careers at the senior school, Mrs Davies.

Recently Mrs Davies brought a box of Lego Friends to her lesson to provoke discussion around all the career opportunities associated with bringing a product from an initial idea to the point of sale. Pupils were amazed with the range of job titles and what each career involved. Many are likely to have jobs which, as yet, have not even been invented.

Year 2 celebrate an ancient Hindu tradition

Did aliens land at the prep school?

Headmaster Mr Marshallsay asked Reception Class if they could investigate something unusual in the grounds of the school. When the children went outside they found the crash site of a rocket. They spotted some unusual lights near the site and other clues which led them to believe an alien had landed.

There has been no official sighting of an alien but the children are continuing to look and, in the meantime, are having enormous fun using their imaginations, creating rockets and writing lovely descriptions of aliens and stories of journeys to other planets.

Year 2 were very excited to explore Holi, the ancient Hindu tradition and one of the most popular festivals in Hinduism. They found out all about the festival in class and had the opportunity to try out the tradition for real and create a riot of colour outside in the prep school grounds.

It was just as well their teacher Mrs Moffitt had changed into some old clothes as her class invited her to join in with the festival too.

Tips for supporting mental health

Year 5 and Year 6 joined their peers from the other GDST schools for a video call with Dr Alex George. Dr Alex gave many useful tips for supporting mental health and pupils were thrilled to receive a copy of his new book, A Better Day, which will be a much sought after addition to our library.

Inter-house competitions get hotter

This term has seen a busy inter-house calendar of events including photography, cross country, biscuit making, singing and even It’s a Knockout. House points are adding up and we look forward to the winners being revealed.

HighNews

Portsmouth High School, Kent Road, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 3ES www.portsmouthhigh.co.uk

 admissions@por.gdst.net  023 9282 4916

Courageous prep school pupils from Years 1 to 5 put themselves forward for the Prep Talent Show.

Emilia in Year 5 and Jemima in Year 2 impressed the audience with reading poetry they had written themselves. Molly in Year 5 cheered everyone up with her amusing and enthusiastic joke-telling skills. In the Dance category, Vanessa in Year 3 and Freya in Year 1 showed some lovely tap dancing, and Olivia in Year 1 and Matilda in Year 3 demonstrated contemporary dance. Congratulations to the overall winners, Emilia and Matilda, and thank you to all the competitors for inspiring their peers to enter next year’s event.

Holiday Clubs

Multi-activity day camps take place at Portsmouth High School during the school holidays and are open to girls and boys from 3 to 11 years. Children do not have to be a pupil at the school in order to attend. All children are welcome to join us. Find out more and book your place via the school website.

Prep School Talent Show impresses audience