St Hugh's Magazine 2023-2024

Speech Day

We were delighted to be shortlisted for Small Independent School of the Year in 2024.

Mr Jeremy Wyld, Headmaster

Boys and girls, colleagues, parents, governors, friends of St Hugh’s and our guest speaker, Jade Windley – good morning and a very warm welcome in every sense as we gather in the Sports Hall for our annual celebration of achievements and success this year.

It is a pleasure to welcome Jade Windley today who, known to many of you, has experienced far more of the ups and downs of competition and elite sport than I dare imagine but who also, and she may well humbly dispute this, embodies many if not all of our school dispositions.

We shall celebrate achievement shortly, although I’ll caveat that –everyone in this room has achieved – some do so quietly and with the minimum of fuss, some do it in unsung areas where there is no limelight and some, inevitably, are rewarded today, or yesterday at our final assembly or at national levels. But, irrespective of trophies and certificates – and you’ll know from before, that my side of the Wyld family trophy cupboard was rarely troubled – you should all reflect on a year well spent and one full of success for each and every one of you.

We have come to the end of what has been an exceptional year – in lots of ways. The school is thriving, with a real

sense of energy around every corner. Even at this time of term when the wheels wobble and we cling onto the sides like a rickety roller coaster we are still able to reflect on events in the last week or so which have been delivered with as much gusto as they are in September. Early next week you’ll receive the Summer Term Highlights, a chronicle of activity which gets longer and longer each term as more and more happens.

You’ll also have your children’s reports which document two things. Firstly, what your children have achieved but – and this is especially important to me – just how well your children’s teachers know your children. Compare what you read on two or three pages of comprehensively written reports, full of next steps, recommendations and genuine understanding of the child to these three entire subject reports, from 1930 – “Good”, “appallingly inaccurate”, “useful with a punishing left”.

Thankfully, times have changed –there is another letter from the same

period requesting to pay the term’s fees in potatoes, and the back page of the report booklet comments on the boys’ weight which, in a worrying reflection on the standard of food at the time, was invariably noticeably lower at the end of term than at the beginning.

Secondly, you’ll see just how our school, your school, thrives on positivity and energy, on enthusiasm and enjoyment. These attributes exist across the school, be it from the smile of our bus drivers in the morning to the welcome in the office, to tea on Wednesdays in the pavilion and – as we saw on Thursday evening at the concert or the week before on stage for Peter Pan, or on the field for Sports Day – on the faces of everybody who comes to see just what we do. Correction, to see what you do. I always try to pivot my words around a theme. A regular one for me in school is community; we talk a lot about that in class, in assembly and around school. We refer to the St Hugh’s family; not just because it is a fashionable buzzword – after all, it would be a brave school who claimed not to be family friendly or welcoming – but because we really believe in it.

Learning is my (loose) theme this morning.

L-R: Jade Windley (former professional tennis player, athlete mentor, ambassador and tennis coach), Florence L (School Captain), Aydin T (School Captain), Headmaster Jeremy Wyld.

Achievement, large or small, and some which we shall celebrate today, is the result of the learning that happens at the same time as all of those events I’ve just quickly run through. There are more, so many more, that could be mentioned but we simply don’t have the time. So, instead of reciting the school magazine, I will focus on what we see as learning. It isn’t just the yes or no, the right or wrong or the mark at the bottom of the page. It is much more than that.

You may have heard of Guy Claxton, a professor, and if you haven’t, it doesn’t matter – he has a few words to say on learning which I think are relevant to where we are. You could interpret these in any way you choose – we have all had a tumultuous couple of years in all our lives and you may identify with what he says.

‘Learning is the need to develop the ability to face difficulty, complexity and uncertainty calmly, confidently and capably.’

Not to get x%, to come first, to win at all costs or to trample over the rest of the pack – it means developing our characters and the resilience to overcome the challenges we face each and every time. Achievement isn’t immediate – I can speak from experience that actually I’ve been a better learner since moving to the front of the classroom than I was when I was sitting in it. The opportunities I’ve mentioned are the ones which shape us, which create the self we eventually become. Winning is important, don’t get me wrong, but the way we win is just as much so, if not more so, as we learn so much from that rather than the assumption that anything else is failure. It is that Learning Pit we talk about, or the First Attempt In Learning. That is where the education lies.

For all of us, whether we are exploring our first days in school in Early Years or navigating that awful period of our lives known as “being a grown up”, we have had plenty of difficulty, complexity and uncertainty of late.

Even now, arguably, it continues. So, being calm, confident and capable are important characteristics for all of us, whether we be small or big, young or… more experienced. These aren’t weaknesses; they are tools for success – heading into situations with a deep breath, a clear head and belief in our ability are the real strengths. They give us the ability to reflect, to persevere and to face challenges.

I have mentioned, far more briefly than they deserve, the teachers. I also wish to take a rare, formal, opportunity to say thank you. From Niki at home who keeps me on the straight and narrow, to Richard Goodhand and Natalie Wallis, my Deputy Heads, who are the ones actually keeping those wheels I mentioned on the tracks, to the nursery staff, to the teaching assistants, to the games coaches, the peri music teachers to the catering team, the whole support staff, the admin staff and all of those who work the unsociable hours to make sure that the school functions as it should so the children can come in to an environment where they can thrive. As we break for the summer, the work will continue as we prepare for the decorators and carpet fitters to come and refresh our teaching and learning spaces.

This would therefore seem to be a good time to say goodbye, thank you and good luck to staff who will be leaving us.

Mrs Anita Bennett who retired from the kitchen after 30 years of working at St Hugh’s, albeit in a variety of roles and in a couple of different stints, including over at Fairmead when that housed boarding boys.

Mrs Hayley Revell who leaves us to join her family overseas and who has been simply wonderful as the teacher to many of your children in Year 1 – even after a relatively short time with us, she leaves a big gap.

They will be hugely missed but will always remain a part of our history.

To all of you parents and families –St Hugh’s thrives due to your support and your advocacy. To have you in our corner means we can evolve with confidence and emerge from our own challenges with ambition. The loyalty and endorsement of what we do, of what we are, what we’ve always been and what we will be long into the future is priceless and we will never take that for granted.

To our leaving families; once part of this wonderful school it is difficult to shake off. You and your children have been part of our lives and we have been part of yours. I hope you take with you happy memories of a time well spent and we wish you well, wherever you may go on to.

Specifically, to the families of our senior children, our Year 8s. Some of you got on the St Hugh’s train at the Early Years station and have genuinely completed the whole journey! Some have joined more recently. Irrespective, your children have all been magnificent and have achieved great things during their time with us. Actually, and whether or not

you believed me when I talked about the importance of being calm, confident and capable in relation to success, look at them. They are mature beyond their years, they have stepped up to every challenge put in front of them and they have succeeded, without exception, as they move on to their next school. I’d like to ask the Year 8s to stand for us to give them a worthy round of applause to thank them for being more than we could expect, more than we ask for and for being the latest in a long line of (almost) former pupils.

Before I hand over to the School Captains, I’ll close with a cultural reference.

Some of you may know of the TV character, Ted Lasso, a coach and football manager. Asked by a journalist how important is it for him to win at all costs, as surely doing so would be the hallmark of a great football manager? Before answering, he pauses for a few seconds and then he replies, ‘You know what, it’s not always about winning and losing; it’s about helping everyone to become the best version of themselves they can be.’

As much as we’d like to, we can’t always be first over the line, nor can we all be. We know that, throughout our lives or our careers. Instead, what we can be is the best that we can be.

Through learning, through being calm, confident and capable we can achieve great things – even if not just yet, we will.

If I were to talk to my younger self with the experience of a few extra years, I’d certainly say that – grab the opportunities, have a go, fall over occasionally and learn to dust yourself off.

Life can be, and often is, very complicated, but being our best self doesn’t need to be.

Let me now introduce our guest speaker this morning, who will also be awarding today’s prizes. Jade Windley. She’ll be known to many of you as being instrumental in our school’s success on the court as she and her team work closely with many of our children at Tattershall Tennis Club. She has proudly represented Great Britain throughout her career. Jade won 19 professional titles and achieved her lifelong dream of competing in the main draw of The Championships, Wimbledon. There is much more I am sure that can be said about her journey but you are here to listen to her, not to me talking about her. Jade, welcome.

Aydin Tekin, School Captain

Ladies and gentlemen, Headmaster and staff and our honoured guest, I am here to deliver my speech to you all.

Here I am standing, telling you about my days, months and years at St Hugh’s. I never thought I would say this but this is my last day here.

Eleven years ago, yes eleven. I was a shy little boy in Mrs Wallis’ class who enjoyed eating Mr Wilson's food so much that I think I might have eaten all the food in his kitchen. It was so good that, mum, you may have a strong competitor. There were some days I was not so keen on. One of them was having matches cancelled because you know I love my sport but giving up matches is like, THE END OF THE WORLD! I think the world ended too many times this year due to the lack of sunshine. We still had some very successful seasons. I have to say, Mr Pickering, we may not have had many times to play but the games were still very enjoyable.

I have to thank Matron, you have been a mother to me, but I have to apologise for taking nearly all the tissue boxes because of nose bleeds after rugby. Also, for not picking up the shower mats after I had a shower in the Boarding House. At the start of the year, the Year 7s and 8s went on the Netherlands Sports Tour, and we were playing our first rugby match and I needed to remind Charlie T not to underestimate a massive Dutch rugby player. A couple of minutes later, Charlie was thrown about 40 feet in the air like a discus. At the end of the match Maxwell D volunteered to clean the mud out of the changing room but then, when he was in the shower room, he was in front of a sensor shower – you guys can guess what happened next. I have enjoyed every minute of lessons. From Mr Jeffery singing Alicia Keys’ “New York” song making our ears bleed, I'm just joking sir we all loved it. Mr Goodhand your maths songs were amazing but very cheesy. Mrs Costello, your lessons were very crazy and near death experiences were very common. In our very first science lesson, she lit our hands on fire. Mme Clayton, I was a disaster, but at least I can name items in my pencil case and order a baguette. Mr Pickering, our cricket chats will never grow old. Mr Short, one of the most enthusiastic teachers I have met, always encourages us to get on with everything

that comes to mind and is also a great mentor to talk to, along with Mr Goodhand. I'm telling you, if someone were to get a question right in maths, Mr Goodhand would start to dance around the classroom singing his little short cheesy songs. Mr Ferguson, how on earth did you cope with me and Jenson G in music theory? You and your music team have helped me and many others get to the standards needed for our next schools. Mrs Warwick-Smith, you have been like a mum to me in the Boarding House. However, shooting us with water guns yesterday at 7am in the morning was just a bit too far!

I really have to say that I and many others are so fortunate to be taught by all of you. All of these memories would not have been made without all of these teachers and heroes.

I would like to give masses of good luck to our next School Captains, Megan B and Charles B. I wish the best of luck to you and the next Year 8s.

For all the younger years, just remember to work hard and have patience, because no matter who you are, you are going to get hurt in your career and you have to be patient to get through the injuries.

To all the teachers, I apologise sincerely for having to put up with me and my brother – it must have felt like speaking to a wall. I will be back some time in my lifetime, “hasta la vista baby!”

Florence Lilly, School Captain

Good morning parents, fellow students, Mr Wyld, staff and our honoured guest, Jade Windley, on this lovely summer’s day.

I really cannot believe that this is the end of mine and my classmates' St Hugh's journey. I started at St Hugh’s in Mrs Wallis’ Reception Class, when she taught us everything from the alphabet to number lines and I can still remember the Biff, Chip and Kipper stories. My twin sister Grace and I were in separate classes and neither of us were very brave when it came to being dropped off. But Mrs Wallis and Miss Hainsworth were there for the rescue and ever since then my independence and confidence has carried on growing and I cannot believe I am standing here today as a School Captain. Year 3 was when I found my passion for sport. I was always keen to be running laps around the school fields in the Set Cross Country or throwing a netball around, even when my fingers were about to fall off because of the coldness. But luckily in Year 7 we were finally able to play in the Sports Hall as I had always envied the seniors being able to play indoors, while we were outside in ridiculously cold temperatures. All the games staff have helped me tremendously with all my sports but special thanks to Mrs Felton who has always tried to get us involved in as many events as we can. I will always remember the cross country runs we did, particularly where the toilet facilities were in a bush! Being at St Hugh’s has provided me with so many opportunities such as playing an instrument. I started playing the piano in Year 2 and the violin in Year 3. I would always look forward to my music lessons but I was never happy if they were in PE or Games, as I would do everything I possibly could to swap them with someone else. So I do apologise to Mr Ferguson for all the confusion I have caused. Playing an instrument has provided me with lots of different chances to go to places such as Uppingham and Oakham music days and the Lincoln Music Festival. I have always loved playing with other people because ensemble and orchestra at St Hugh’s has always been great fun.

On the academic side, Mrs Costello made sure all her science lessons were certainly not boring with all the experiments, including my favourite when she set fire to the table (don't worry

that was the point, it was not a mistake). And Mr Jeffery has always thought of a terrible joke for every single geography and history lesson. Mme Clayton ensured we had a great few days in Paris in Year 7. We all had an amazing time when visiting some of the most famous monuments in the world, but sadly I still haven't been up the Eiffel Tower yet as the staff were on strike that day. And thanks to Mme Clayton, in Pre Prep we always ate plenty of French sweets and looked forward to every French lesson. Thank you and well done to Mme Brabant for teaching me and Grace Spanish as we were definitely not naturals.

Art and DT were definitely not my strongest subjects, so thank you to Mrs Foote for telling me my drawings were good even though we all know they weren't. But it still amazes me to this day that I received a Headmaster's Award for a painting of a bridge in Year 1 and it is still hung up on the wall in my house now.

A special thanks to Mr Goodhand for trying to teach me and my sister maths. And also thank you to Mrs BonnerMacKenzie for being Head of Upper School and for making sure all the senior plays ran as smoothly as they did.

Finally, we come to thank Mr Short, my form tutor. He has been great fun and very supportive. However, on the Netherlands Sports Tour his sense of direction did not prove to be very good, as on our early morning run he managed to get Mrs Felton and me lost in the dark, in a small town outside our hostel. As soon as he realised we were going the wrong way the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to rain torrentially. When we got back we were dripping with water from head to toe. Since then, his directional skills have not improved, as he got me and Charlotte T lost on our run in Ullswater and instead of running on a flat road we ran up the side of a mountain, which he was regretting, as he got left behind and when we were at the top he was definitely struggling.

The Netherlands Sports Tour was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget and without all the teachers who went, none of it would have been possible. Over the years, there have been so many fantastic hobbies, such as cooking, swim squad, forest school and my favourite – running club. Thank you to Mr Pickering for organising all the hobbies, especially as on the first day of term when we all found out what our friends were doing, we all wanted to swap. Our last few weeks have been actionpacked with an amazing trip to Ullswater but definitely a chilly one. I have never been so cold as when we all went on our jog and dip as soon as we arrived. We

all pushed ourselves to our limits and surprised ourselves with what we can do. The outward bound course was amazing and challenging for all of us.

Sports Day has always been the highlight of my school year. It was great to see lots of records being broken. Most importantly, everyone took part and tried their very best. I’d like to mention Hugo H-S, Annabelle L and Abi B who did not give up and finished their races with smiles on their faces. These performances highlight that St Hugh’s gives everyone the confidence to keep trying their hardest.

If I had one tip to give to all the pupils, it would be to take any opportunity that you get, because St Hugh’s has provided me with so many amazing opportunities that were a bit scary to start with but I have no regrets in doing them now.

The Summer Concert was amazing with lots of incredible performances from the soloists, small groups, ensembles and the orchestra who all were spectacular. A big thanks to the music department as it was not an easy task putting on the concert with all the instruments and pupils to organise.

I am looking forward to my next school, Worksop College, as I am sure it will be wonderful. It has a lot to live up to because St Hugh’s has been the best school experience I could have imagined.

My classmates and I will take so many marvellous memories with us to our next schools.

I wish the next School Captains the best of luck – I am sure they will do amazingly as a team.

Finally, thank you to all the teachers and everyone behind the scenes like the groundsmen, chefs, bus drivers, cleaners and the admin staff, as without them the school would not be what it is today.

I wish all the best to my fellow pupils – remember to soak up every last opportunity you get.

I will miss everything this school has to offer. I hope you all have a wonderful summer. Thank you.

Speech Day Prize Winners

Award Recipient

The Sim’s Plate – Sportsman of the Year

The Chambers Cup – Sportswoman of the Year

Shelbourn Awards – School Captains for 2024/25

E & R Wilkinson Cup – English

A Wilkinson Cup – Creative English

Barr Cup – Maths

Wiggins Davies Cup – Most Improved Mathematician

Mablethorpe Cup – Science

Brown Cup – History

Hunt Cup – Humanities

Lamming Shield – French

C Wilkinson Cup – Art

Aydin T

Florence L

Megan B Charles B

Grace L

Ted J

Poppy H

Jenson G

Raul P

Charlotte T

Wilf H-S

Sophie T

Amelia F

Hunter Art Shield – Most Improved Artist Poppy H

Paine Cup – Drama Singing

Jenson G

Maltby Cup – Services to Drama Ela H

Langley Cup – Secondary Services to Drama Lucia H

Sanderson Cup – Musical Theatre

Grant Cup – Most Improved Musician

Hilditch Shield – Unsung Heroine

Gordon Davidson Shield – Unsung Hero

Sinnott Shield for Visible learning

The Daines Talbot Citizenship Award

Radford Award for Academic Excellence

Edmund Cup – Presentation in Year 8

Design & Technology

The Martin Needham Endeavour Cup

The Game Classics Cup

The Wright Cup (All-rounder)

Swimming Badges for Competing at National Finals

Award

ESSA National Finals

IAPS National Finals and ESSA

Recipients

Charlotte T (IAPS re-award) Annabelle J (IAPS re-award)

Charlotte J (re-award), Tabitha H-S, George C, Henry E, Joshua F

Athletics Badges for Competing at a National Level Event

Award

NPSA

Form Prizes for Effort and Attainment

Year Recipients

Reception Ivy H, Leo L

Year 1

Year 2

Arabella G

Joseph L

Peyton N

Raul P

Amelie C

Scarlett G

Poppy H

Charlotte T

Aydin T

William S

William S

Florence L

Year 3C

Year 3F

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Citizenship Award –Middle School

Citizenship Award –Upper School

Recipients

Florence L (re-award), Charlotte T, Sophie T,

Amelia F, Charles B, Sam H

Georgia N, Verity E

Alexandra L, Hailey N

Taylor T, Emilia S

Anna P, Harry L

Annabelle B, Giovani C

Penelope L, Rory P

Tabitha H-S, Rory S

Megan B, Euan P

Edward R

Noah G

Arrange a personal virtual tour by calling 01283 559200 or email admissions@repton.org.uk

From the Archives

Delving into St Hugh’s history and celebrating the past pupils of the school.

It is always fascinating to receive donations of archive materials.

The pictures here are of school reports and photographs donated by family members of former pupil John Basil Davis.

As we approach our centenary year, commencing September 2025, we welcome donations or copies of any alumni materials.

John, second from left, front row

John, first on the right, middle row

For any former pupils or their families reading this, please do get in touch. We love to hear your news and, even more, we welcome you to visit whenever you happen to be passing by.

John, centre, back row

Early Years

Nursery, Pre-school and Reception

Throughout our school year, we focus on developing and embedding the Early Years curriculum through play, interests of the children, areas of development, and of course through fun and interactive activities.

The Autumn Term is all about settling new children into our school routines, staff getting to know their new class, and creating topics of interest. We all love a dress-up day and Reception came to school dressed up as one of their grown up’s jobs while Nursery and Pre-school took a trip to Active Arena for some role-play fun – going out in our school minibuses is always so much fun and a big adventure for our smallest children.

We celebrated National Nursery Rhyme week by focusing on a nursery rhyme each day and then learning one of them to show to each other in a big assembly – of course we dressed up again too! Christmas was looming and we took the whole department off to Crazee Bongos for a day of arts and crafts and playing before launching into three performances of our school Nativity – Bethlehem Ballroom.

The New Year was equally busy with a visit from Kirsty at Rhubarb Theatre helping kick off our new topics. Each class had a book linked to their topic which was brought to life with actions and activities. We had a very informative visit from one of our local dentists, Dr Grant, who taught us all about keeping up with our oral health and how to make healthy food and drink choices.

Our final term always goes quickly and we have to say goodbye to our classes. This year we wished good luck to Miss McCarroll as she headed on maternity leave. Over the term, Reception had so many WOW moments with the children’s learning stepping up a gear and them becoming Independent Iguanas and Persevering Parrots. Our dispositions feature heavily in our teaching and the children show how embedded these have become throughout their day-to-day activities. Linked to this, some of our Nursery children were awarded with their first swimming certificates, showing their determination and development over the year. As the term came to an end we were able to take everyone to Huttoft beach and enjoyed some warm, but windy, weather nearly resulting in two members of staff taking off with the school parachute! Preschool enjoyed a spectacular graduation party.

Many children in Reception earned their various disposition badges over the year, which they will all continue working on throughout their time at St Hugh’s. Well done to all of our children who achieved so much over the year – we love to watch you grow and are so proud of you all!

Miss Hainsworth, Head of Early Years and Reception Class Teacher

Class photos by Wrates School Photography

Chestnut Family Tree

Our Reception children (Chestnut Class) came to school dressed up as someone in their family – representing the job that they do.

They learnt all about everyone's families and how similar and different they are. They also made a family tree for their classroom – The Chestnut Family Tree.

Nursery Rhyme Week

Everyone looked amazing when Early Years celebrated Nursery Rhyme Week.

There were some very imaginative fancy dress costumes and it was a lot of fun guessing what everyone had come dressed as.

During the week, the children enjoyed learning about nursery rhymes. Then in assembly, all classes joined together to perform their chosen nursery rhyme with Mr Ferguson playing the accompanying music on the piano.

Hide and Seek Clues

We were very excited to welcome Joseph Begley from Hits Radio when he asked for our help with his morning programme.

Joseph presents the weekday breakfast show on Hits Radio which includes a game of hide and seek.

As part of the game, he asks children from local schools to describe a famous

place in the world – then each morning they give a different clue to the mystery location and the audience must try to guess the answer.

Hugo S and Verity E were joined by Priya K from Reception and Ottilie M and Otto L from Year 2 to announce the clues. They all did a fabulous job, with the mystery location being unveiled to be Milan, Italy.

Fun at Crazee Bongos

Children had their annual trip to Crazee Bongos, along with Lower School, for a day of play and Christmas crafts.

They met Grandad Elf and thankfully everyone's name could be found on the Nice List!

Interactive Storytelling

Early Years was very excited to welcome Kirsty from Rhubarb Theatre Company.

Each class enjoyed an individual storytelling session linked to their topic work.

Nursery had been learning all about wintertime so the Snow Bear was a perfect choice and children enjoyed activities including drawing their footprints in the ‘snow’ and listened intently to the story.

The tale of Handa’s Surprise tied beautifully to Reception’s work on food and there was much laughter as they pretended to be the different animals included in the story.

Pizza Makers

As part of their Food topic, our Reception children visited Zucci Mediterranean Bistro in the village to make the pizzas they had been designing in class.

Throughout the term they had been learning all about food; where it comes from and how it makes its way to the supermarket shelves. They also had the

Lunar New Year

We celebrated the Year of the Dragon.

Nursery and Pre-school were very excited to find a dragon's nest and egg –luckily the mummy dragon was nowhere to be seen. They performed a dragon dance using scarves as wings and also did some very loud roaring before enjoying some outdoor playtime. There was lots to explore in the classroom too.

opportunity to make their own food by following recipes.

A visit to Zucci was a wonderful way for them to see their pizza designs become a reality. They had a great time pressing their own dough, spreading the tomato base, sprinkling the cheese and adding their chosen toppings. Everyone agreed that the best bit of the morning was sitting down together to eat them!

A huge thank you to Mr Tekin for having us and teaching us all about pizza making!

French Lessons

Everyone enjoyed their French lessons with Mme Clayton and Camembear!

In January, Mme Clayton shared a French tradition which celebrates the arrival of the three kings at Christmas. Reception children were very happy to sample some Galette des Rois (Kings' Cake) which is traditionally shared on Twelfth Night.

Dentist Visit

We were very lucky to welcome Dr Grant to the classroom to teach us all about the work of dentists.

The children pretended to be dentists and we talked about which foods are bad for our teeth.

Nursery children made the obligatory Rice Krispie Easter nests and had fun hunting for Easter eggs.

Caterpillars & Butterflies

Nursery children raised and fed their very own butterflies and were very excited when it came to releasing them into the wild! They also enjoyed exploring the village with trips to the woods and park. They read The Hungry Caterpillar storybook and enjoyed visiting the shop to buy some of the food he enjoyed so they could try it for themselves.

New Life

Reception Class learnt about new life and were very excited to see some special visitors in the classroom!

Mr Goodhand brought in some of his chicks that hatched and they spent the day in the classroom before heading back home with him.

Reception Class enjoyed telling everyone about their topic work which also included planting sunflowers and watching caterpillars turn into butterflies.

Pre-school

PE & Music

Our Pre-school children were very busy in their weekly PE and music lessons.

In PE, Mr Short and Miss Blee-Storey taught them athletics. The children learnt about running and how to use the right technique. While in music lessons, Mr Ferguson taught them to play the ukulele.

In the Garden

Pre-school also spent lots of time in the garden.

They cleared the raised beds and planted their own sunflowers. They also released the butterflies they watched grow from caterpillars. They were lucky enough to harvest lots of strawberries to share at snack time.

Pre-school Graduation

We welcomed parents to our graduation ceremony and enjoyed a party together.

Fun at the Seaside

We had a great day at Huttoft beach with Lower School.

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Lower School

Year 1 and Year 2

This year we started a rolling programme of topics allowing Years 1 and 2 to join together and share their learning experiences.

We started our Autumn Term with a hike around the village, really getting to know our local area and the hidden bits of history. The tales of the ‘magic water’ at Woodhall’s spa ignited our imaginations and we gained even more knowledge during our trip to the Cottage Museum. The term could not have ended on more of a high with our performance of Bethlehem Ballroom; from the fantastic dancing skills of Eme B and James W as innkeepers to the solo performance by Sienna O as Mary. The reviews from parents proved it was a raging success!

Spring Term saw the arrival of a class of scientists ready to tackle our ‘Eureka!’ topic. The children loved the hands-on investigations even when poor Otto L got covered in exploding vinegar. Bertie P became a true inventor creating a board rubber using electrical circuits and a motor. Our trip to Magna Science Adventure Centre allowed lots more hands-on experiences and the exploding rockets had Mr Adrian (our bus driver) jumping out of his seat!

We travelled to Africa during the Summer Term and our dress-up day saw lots of wild animals and explorers arriving at school ready for a creative day of batique, printing and clay model making. We saw African animals up close and personal at Yorkshire Wildlife Park but the giraffes stole the show when they came up close to have a poo and then walked away –every pupil’s recount told of this highlight!

Celebrating successes and learning is such an important part of our daily life but it was an honour to present Monaco H, Otto L and Ottilie M with the Endeavour Cup which highlighted their perseverance throughout the year and the challenges they took on independently. Raphael O’C received our first Citizenship Award for his happy, helpful attitude every single day!

Miss

Henderson, Head of Lower School and Year 2 Class Teacher

Class photos by Wrates School Photography

Budding Poets

Miss Henderson entered her class into an acrostic writing competition.

The whole class had fun thinking about the topic of their poem before ensuring the first letter of each line spelt out a word or phrase related to it. Having the opportunity to enter a competition gave the children a real incentive and they were excited to share their ideas.

Everyone was delighted to hear back from the organisers of the competition informing them that their work would be published in a book.

Nursery Rhyme Week

We celebrated Nursery Rhyme Week and came to school in fancy dress.

Pupils learnt all about many different nursery rhymes and Year 2 wrote their own.

The finale of the week was joining together with Early Years to perform our chosen nursery rhyme, accompanied by Mr Ferguson on the piano.

A Visit to the Cottage Museum

Year 2 had a great morning at the Cottage Museum in Woodhall Spa.

They tried their hand at rag rugging with great success and learnt so much about the history of the village.

A huge thank you to the Cottage Museum volunteers for making it such an enjoyable trip.

Fun at Crazee Bongos

We enjoyed our annual trip to Crazee Bongos with Early Years. Grandad Elf impressed everyone with his magic tricks and there were lots of willing assistants to help him.

Interactive Storytelling

Children were very excited when Rhubarb Theatre Company came for a visit.

Each class enjoyed an individual story-telling session linked to their literacy lessons.

The much-loved classic, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, was chosen by Year 1 while Julia Donaldson’s Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book was picked by Year 2. Both books were brought to life – launching story writing lessons over the rest of the term.

Year 1 took a trip into the village to learn all about the local area.

Science Day

Years 1 and 2 became scientists for the day.

They enjoyed taking part in lots of different investigations…watching ‘dancing raisins’, producing Skittle rainbows, making fizzing potions, getting messy making slime, observing ‘magic milk’, creating lava lamps, and predicting the buoyancy of objects.

Outside in the playground, there was much excitement when making explosions using Mentos mints and bottles of Coke.

Throughout the day, everyone made fantastic predictions and observations – and went home with lots of ideas for future experiments.

100 Gold Stars!

A group of super savers resisted the temptation of chocolate biscuits to earn the treat of a film afternoon.

Rather than cashing in their weekly gold stars for biscuits they opted to save them and managed to earn 100 gold stars (10 tokens) each. They had been busy discussing which film to choose and what snacks to order since the start of the school year.

Finally achieving their target, they had a lovely afternoon watching Minions: The Rise of Gru in the Boarding House while enjoying the drinks and snacks they had put on a shopping list for Miss Henderson.

Learning About Scientists

In the Spring Term, Years 1 and 2 learnt all about scientists.

They loved finding out about the work of Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin and were fascinated when it came to making their own electric circuit!

Years 1 and 2 had a fabulous day exploring Magna Science Adventure Centre as part of their science topic.

Tea Party

In Literacy, Year 1 read The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

Everyone had the opportunity to write their own version of the story – choosing an animal they would like to be the feature of the story.

Mrs Revell and Mrs Harvey decided that the topic would not be complete without having their very own tea party and the whole class planned what they would need to prepare. The children followed instructions and recipes from their English lessons to create the decorations and food for the afternoon treat. They were extremely busy baking and decorating cupcakes and even made their own sandwiches. Their chosen guest was invited to come along, with everyone bringing in the soft toy animal they included in their story.

A fabulous afternoon was had by all!

Years 1 and 2 enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs donated by the Parents’ Association.

Africa Day

Pupils enjoyed 'Africa Day' in class where they came dressed in suitable attire to learn lots of new skills.

In class they created animals using clay and made their own batik pattern by carefully using wax. They also learnt the art of printmaking and weaving. What a brilliant day!

Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Years 1 and 2 had a fantastic time at Yorkshire Wildlife Park as part of their topic work on Africa.

Thank you to Ottilie M, Year 2, for the fabulous recount of the day:

"Years one and two went to Yorkshire Wildlife Park because our topic is Africa.

First we entered the outdoors and we went to the baboons. Their bottoms were very big! They were really stinky. One of them even popped out with a banana in his hand. It really made me laugh. It was hilarious!

Next we went to the painted dogs, apparently not a lot of people see them. So we were really lucky. They were very good at camouflaging. Did you know they always stay in a pack? They are following the leader.

A little while later we went to the lemur walkabout. I only saw the lemurs because I saw something moving in the trees which was their tails. I loved it when I saw some cuddling together.

Soon after that we went to the workshop. I held a cockroach! I also held a giant snail. Of course I touched a snake called Monty. We also saw some skulls.

After that we saw zebras munching and munching on grass. I also saw that there's brown on zebras.

Otters here we come, I thought, as soon as I saw the frolicking flippers. They were jumping in and out! I didn't notice that they made a squeaking noise.

When we arrived at the lion enclosure we had a lion talk. The lions were all the way from Ukraine and last week was their first time on grass. There were giraffes, meerkats, rhinos, polar bears, wallabies, monkeys and leopards. Next time I come I'll definitely play in the park.

I recommend it to everyone."

Ottilie M, Year 2

Middle School

Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5

The year got off to a great start for Years 3 and 4 as they enjoyed perfect weather during their camp out, creating lasting memories whilst playing with friends and enjoying marshmallows and hot chocolate.

A trip to the collection involved exploration of Roman artefacts and the highlight was creating the tortoise formation with the teachers pelting foam balls at them.

The festive spirit shone brightly during the Middle School Christmas party. It was filled with laughter and included games such as human snowmen and reindeer races.

In April, Year 5 spent four days exploring Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France. They fully embraced the French lifestyle and learnt about its food (snails were the big favourite for everyone!), spent lots of euros at the French markets and had fun at the residential centre.

The Summer Term was action packed including trips for ice creams for the star readers, farm visits and a day at a high ropes course.

Over the course of the year the children worked hard and developed both academically and socially. Lots of fun was had by all.

Mrs Corner, Head of Middle School and Year 3 Class Teacher

Class photos by Wrates School Photography

Romans and Camping!

Years 3 and 4 enjoyed a school trip together visiting Lincoln Museum.

They spent the day learning all about the Romans – examining artefacts and finding out about Roman Lincoln. They particularly enjoyed pretending to be soldiers.

Eureka!

Year 3 had a great trip to Eureka! The National Children's Museum.

They spent the day exploring all the different zones, each filled with lots of interactive exhibits, and particularly enjoyed a science show – “Chew to the Poo”!

After a busy day, they returned to school and got ready to camp out for the night on the school field. We hear there was not much sleep to be had but the beautiful sunrise and the smell of a cooked breakfast made it all worthwhile!

Roman Day

The Romans landed in Years 3 and 4!

Everyone looked fantastic and enjoyed a day full of activities including mosaic, paint and clock making and active word searches.

It was a great day celebrating all things Roman.

Accelerated Reader Targets

Each term, pupils read a variety of books to ensure they met their individual Accelerated Reader targets.

Rewards included a trip to Woodlands Café for ice cream, and hot chocolate at The Inn. Well done readers!

Year 5 created micro:bit Christmas baubles in their own designs.

Victorians for the Day

Year 5 made the long but scenic journey, notwithstanding the A1, down to Stamford to visit Burghley House for a Victorian Day.

We marvelled at the opulence of the furnishings, the decorated walls and ceilings and learned about the numerous portraits. Amongst these were Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Charles I (inexplicably in the same room as Oliver Cromwell) and several of Queen Victoria – the focus of our studies. We also saw the four-poster beds she slept in on her visits to Burghley.

We tried a guess-the-Victorianartefact quiz, which the pupils were rather good at and then they started on

some typical servants' chores – folding linen, polishing footwear and setting the table. The supervising adults were all very impressed by the efficient folding going on – obviously very well trained children! Later on, pupils downed tools and took part in some traditional Victorian pastimes and parlour games – cup-and-ball, making scrapbooks, a Victorian celebrity-based elimination game and 'Lord Bean' amongst others. After a full-on day the pupils could let off steam in the new and brilliantly equipped adventure playground, which included what the children termed 'a death slide' – a near-vertical descent, during which one's life flashed before one's eyes; a certain ageing history teacher can personally attest to this!

Handwriting Week

The winners of our Handwriting Week were congratulated in assembly and awarded novelty pens as prizes.

Year 3

1st – Harry L

2nd – Maya P

3rd – Emilia S

Year 4

1st – Hetty C

2nd – Annabelle B

3rd – Faith S

Year 5

1st – Henry E

2nd – Agatha C

3rd – Annabelle L

French Pen Pals

Year 5 pupils eagerly awaited letters from their French pen pals.

The whole class wrote their first letter to a French pen pal living in the Auvergne region and, since posting them, Mme Clayton was asked daily for updates on when they would receive replies!

Thankfully, they finally arrived and Mme Clayton was very excited to deliver them to the classroom.

It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm when reading the letters.

Creative Science

In Science, Year 4 had fun thinking about the structure and location of organs in the body.

Warburton’s Competition Winner

Congratulations to Agatha C, Year 5, who won a competition run by Warburton’s to design an Ultimate Lunch Box.

Mrs Foote, Head of Art & Design, saw the competition advertised and set

the class the challenge to enter as part of their food lessons in Design & Technology.

Agatha’s fantastic design caught the eye of the Warburton's judges and won her, and her classmates, goodie bags and a £50 Sainsbury’s voucher for school cookery lessons.

Well done Agatha!

Chinese Culture & Language Day

A group of children from Middle and Upper School celebrated the Year of the Dragon when they enjoyed a Chinese Culture and Language Day at Uppingham School.

Thank you to Tara P and April S for their recount of the day:

We started in the main area where we got our name tags and we were put into groups. For the first workshop, Tabitha H-S and Ela H did Chinese greetings. Tara P and Sam H learnt about Chinese characters and made bookmarks with our names in Mandarin Chinese. April S and Megan B made Chinese dumplings, and Edmund S and Annabelle J made origami fish and did Chinese paper cutting. After that, we swapped so we could try out all the activities.

Before lunch, we went on a tour around the school. First we went to the science building and saw some of the newest buildings in the school. We went to the art and design centre – it was amazing to see so many portraits. Next, we went to the sports centre. It was massive – there was a sports hall, a gym and gymnastics areas! Then the most important area for the day was the languages department –it was gigantic and where pupils can learn quite a lot of different languages.

After the tour, we went back to the main area and ate the dumplings that we had made for lunch! The last thing we did was the traditional dragon dancing. It was so fun and some of the Uppingham pupils played the drums for us! Then it was the end of the day and we came back to school.

A massive thank you to Mrs BonnerMacKenzie for taking us and Mme Clayton for organising it. Thank you to Uppingham School for such a great fun day!

By Tara P and April S

Invasion!

Years 3 and 4 were transported back in time to the Viking Age thanks to their guest, Björn, from Portals to the Past.

Throughout the Viking Day workshop they looked at artefacts, took part in quizzes, heard stories and learnt how to play a Viking board game called Hnefatafl (which translated means The King’s Table). A highlight of the day had to be the re-enactment of a Viking battle when everyone was eager to get into character. The day was made complete with a spearthrowing competition.

Anglo Saxons

Year 4 learnt about the Anglo-Saxons.

As well as uncovering the Dark Ages the children made AngloSaxon oatcakes and showed their fire lighting skills in the woods. The class enjoyed a video call from archaeologists from Sutton Hoo. This kick-started their mini-topic and the class were transported out of the Dark Ages and into the wonderful world of kingdoms and treasure. Two days later the artefacts from Sutton Hoo arrived and the children enjoyed uncovering more information about the rich variety of artefacts and replicas.

World Environment Day

To mark World Environment Day, Year 4 took a trip to the Lincolnshire Energy from Waste facility in North Hykeham.

They learnt about how harmful landfill is and how sorting our rubbish is a priority! There were lots of practical games and activities as well as a super tour around this impressive facility.

Adventures in France

Our Year 5 pupils had a wonderful week in France.

Throughout the week we looked forward to their daily updates:

“Bonjour! We have arrived safely in France for our adventure! We managed to catch an earlier train so we have had extra free time to play and explore the residential centre.

Bonjour! Everyone had a good night's sleep and enjoyed a lovely French petitdéjeuner.

Bonjour! We’ve been spending lots of euros today at the chocolaterie and a supermarché! We then had a lovely time exploring Boulogne-sur-Mer and we are now experts on snails after a very interesting visit to a snail farm. We even ate some and most of us loved them! It is cold but at least it is not raining. We are looking forward to our karaoke evening!

Bonjour! We had a very busy day today. We started with a trip to Le Touquet and had to buy our own picnic using our best French! Unfortunately, it was too cold and windy for a picnic on the beach but we really enjoyed our visit to a fishing museum. We finished with a stop at Étaples Military Cemetery before a lovely dinner. The escargots were the favourite item on the menu tonight.

Bonjour! We are now experts on bread making and pottery! Excited to be on our way home to share all our memories and show all our purchases! À bientôt!”

Trip to Lincoln Cathedral

Year 4 went on a religious education trip to Lincoln Cathedral, which was informative from beginning to end.

Pupils were engaged throughout the interactive tour and demonstrated outstanding curiosity.

Mrs Warwick-Smith was surprised by some of their drawing skills whilst working on the Dean's window craft!

The class played out the marriage of the Owl and the Pussycat from the famous tale. Before they began, they all made sure they were dressed appropriately with their own handcrafted bow ties. It was fantastic to bring a book to life.

Geography Farm Trip

Year 5 took a trip to Mr and Mrs Scott's farm. Arriving at the farm, it took the children no time at all to introduce themselves to Mr Scott and his friendly assistant farm manager, Wellington the dog!

Straightaway there was a class photo opportunity as they clambered onto, and into, the tractor parked in the yard. Mr Scott then led us through the many, varied and new ways the land is used on the farm, looking at the solar panels and the crops, from fava beans to wheat, and from potatoes to peas. We enjoyed sampling the vegetables – asparagus cut straight from the ground, and peas we shelled in the fields. Pupils also digested Mr Scott’s expert and easy-tounderstand insights into the strategies and challenges of farming in modern Britain.

Running races across the fields proved a hit, as did the chance to get into the cabs of various large farm vehicles (and beep the horn incessantly)! A delicious lunch was prepared and provided for us by Mrs Scott and daughter Annabel (a St Hugh’s alumna, and somehow having finished school for the summer after exams).

After a lunch break exploring the woods we headed back for a debrief, via a sampling of the honey now being produced on the farm. Mr Scott offered prizes of asparagus bunches for ‘Best Question of the Day’ to Tara P, and the rather niche category of ‘Most Knowledgeable About North African Countries’ to Edmund S.

Many thanks to the Scott family for being such hospitable hosts and particularly to Mr Scott for the entertaining and informative tour of his farm.

Upper School

Year 6, Year 7 and Year 8

Life in the Upper School has been as busy as ever. Ably led by Florence L and Aydin T, our Pupil Leadership Team settled into their new roles quickly; it is always impressive how swiftly our Year 8 pupils become leaders and role models in their final year at St Hugh’s.

The Autumn Term was one for the jetsetters, with Year 7 heading to Paris in September for their French trip, before joining Year 8 in October for the U13 Sports Tour to the Netherlands. The work the pupils put into planning and fundraising for the Sports Tour was a fantastic display of teamwork, and clear proof that our oldest pupils love a challenge. Year 6 met their own challenges too, with a team representing St Hugh’s at Uppingham’s annual general knowledge quiz, ‘On the Buzzer’. Casting completed, rehearsals also got underway for this year’s ambitious Upper School production of We Will Rock You

Rehearsals continued apace in the Spring Term and their hard work was not wasted: We Will Rock You was undoubtedly a highlight of the term, indeed the year, and another wonderful display of teamwork.

Other trips and visits continued, a particular highlight being Year 7’s trip to Newark College Media Department to tie in with their ‘Stage and Screen’ topic, a unit which forms part of the new Years 7-8 curriculum. An exciting development for our Upper School, the new curriculum puts greater emphasis on independent learning and enquiry, as well as links to life skills and careers education.

The IPQ (ISEB Project Qualification) is a key element of this and, in the Summer Term, parents and Year 6 pupils were treated to an informative afternoon of presentations delivered by Year 7 pupils who had recently completed their IPQ projects. Covering everything from circus skills to the future of tractors, pupils spoke with confidence and enthusiasm about their chosen topic.

Our Upper School pupils led positive changes to the hobbies programme too, suggesting and developing a biking hobby, and also running a drama hobby for the Middle School children. As the term went on, Year 6 and Year 8 enjoyed residential trips, making the most of the improved weather.

An incredibly busy year and one where, as ever, it has been a pleasure to see our Upper School pupils flourish.

Mrs Bonner-MacKenzie, Head of Upper School and Head of English

Class photos by Wrates School Photography

Paris, C’est La Vie!

Our Year 7s enjoyed a wonderful few days in Paris. We loved receiving their 'postcard' updates: “Bonsoir!

Long but fantastic first day! Very pleased with our train journeys! The children played lots of card games and enjoyed munching on their snacks, pretty much throughout the journeys! We met Mehdi our animateur at Gare du Nord and he soon became our favourite person. He is a true Parisian and has a great sense of fun! After dropping our bags off at our hostel, we braved the metro and walked through the amazing Jardin des Tuileries, stopped by the Rugby World Cup village and then walked the entire Champs Elysées … but no time to rest yet! We then climbed the (many) stairs of the Arc de Triomphe to finally get a proper view of Paris. What a great start to our trip! Tomorrow we are going up the Tour Eiffel.

Bonjour!

Yesterday was such a busy day! We had an amazing private tour of the Stade de France and got to enjoy the changing rooms (last used by the South African rugby team!) and found out lots about the organisation of a stadium; then we had lunch literally opposite Notre Dame, before exploring the Louvre.

We then were treated to a wonderful meal in a restaurant and finished off with the best view of Paris by night from the top of the Tour Montparnasse. We have walked many, many kilometres and were glad to find our room and showers at the end of a very long but amazing day!”

On the Buzzer 2023

A group of five eager Year 6 pupils donned their thinking caps and travelled to Uppingham for the annual 'On the Buzzer' quiz.

Those of you au fait with University Challenge will be aware that successfully answering a starter question enables the team to then take control of the three follow-up questions and can also then confer with each other. The same applied here.

Year 6 learnt about French breakfast and had a lovely surprise in their French lesson one morning as they had some chocolat chaud and a pain au chocolat!

We proved to be very quick on the buzzer, particularly Sam H, but well supported by Rory S, James F, George C and Noah G who all added excellent contributions. Questions were wellpitched to be challenging but not impossible, and included a multitude of topics – from nursery rhymes to prime

ministers and from the mathematics of circles to world religions.

The team performed superbly and worked really well together, reaching the semi-finals! A fantastic achievement as the other teams who had got to this stage were from larger schools fielding A and B teams.

Merci Monsieur Wilson!

You’ve Got Mail!

Gemma B and Rupert B-W were delighted to receive letters from David Attenborough and Jeremy Clarkson after writing to them as part of their IPQ lessons.

Pupils in Year 7 each chose a topic to research for their ISEB Project Qualification (IPQ). The aim of the qualification is to develop independent, pupil-led research-learning in the form of a 15-20 hour project.

Gemma B chose to find out more about endangered animals and the threat of extinction so thought it was the perfect opportunity to write to the expert himself, David Attenborough. While Rupert B-W researched whether electric tractors could be viable and decided the person most likely to give an honest opinion would be none other than Jeremy Clarkson. Both Gemma B and Rupert B-W were excited when replies arrived through the letterbox.

In their weekly IPQ class with Mrs Bonner-MacKenzie, Year 7 looked into topics ranging from female participation in football to designing a school menu and answering ‘What impact could AI have on the acting industry?’ and ‘Can I turn £1 into £100?’.

In Latin, Year 7 pupils learnt about Roman clothing and managed to dress Fergus V in a toga. Roman men would have worn them over their clothes whenever they had to be in public. The task certainly proved that a toga is a difficult garment to fold!

In Science lessons, Year 8 pupils made their own pH indicator from red cabbage! They then used the red cabbage indicator to identify whether substances were acid or alkali.

Accelerated Reader Targets

Pupils read a variety of books to ensure they met their individual Accelerated Reader targets.

Those who met their targets were rewarded with a trip to The Inn for a hot chocolate.

Media Day

As part of their Stage & Screen topic, Year 7 visited Newark College for a day in the Media Department.

This was a great opportunity for our Year 7 pupils to learn more about careers in the media and opportunities in further education.

Megan B and Gemma B gave a recount of the day:

First we started off our day by leaving the school at 9:00am and set off for Newark College.

There were three tasks that we did:

• Podcasting

• Filming/vision mixing and TV show

• Magazine making.

Group 1 was Jemima S, Alicia T, Ela H, Will L and Fergus V. Group 2 was Megan B, Kitty W, Maxwell D, Charlie T, Charles B and Will C. Group 3 was Annabelle J, Gemma B, Euan P, Toby O and Rupert B-W. We then did all the activities in these groups, and rotated round so we got to try everything.

In the podcast studio, we had already prepared a little podcast about Shakespeare in our English lessons and

Chinese Culture & Language Day

Children celebrated the Year of the Dragon when they enjoyed a Chinese Culture and Language Day at Uppingham School.

Sam H, Tabitha H-S, Ela H, Annabelle J and Megan B teamed up with pupils from Middle School (April S, Tara P and Edmund S) to take part in a range of activities including, writing Chinese greetings, making dumplings and creating origami fish.

so we had fun recording these. In the TV activity, we were in a film studio and we took it in turns to be in charge of the cameras, in charge of vision mixing the show, and as the presenters. Then at the end, we got to watch our show back.

In the magazine-making activity, we all had fun making our Romeo and Juliet film reviews look like real reviews from a professional magazine.

Everyone had a great day and we would like to thank Mrs Bonner-MacKenzie and Mr Jeffery for taking us. Thank you to the media department at Newark College – it was a fabulous day!

Da Vinci Decathlon

A recount by Charles B:

A team of eight Year 7s left school to go to Ampleforth College for an academic competition, the Da Vinci Decathlon. The team consisted of Charles B, Euan P, Fergus V, Megan B, Maxwell D, Gemma B, Annabelle J and Will C. It was a long drive, so of course we couldn’t not stop at services with Morrisons and McDonalds!

We stayed in the guest rooms in the junior boarding house. We had some tea in the on-site pub, got to know some of the pupils from other schools taking part, and did a little pub quiz. In the morning, we had some breakfast and went over to the hall where the papers would take place.

To practise for the decathlon before we came to Ampleforth, we had a few sessions to look at previous years' papers to get an idea of what we were in for. This year, the theme of the day was flight. The day consisted of 10 papers, all flight-themed. We could do all of the papers as a team. As well as Maths, English and Science, we also did papers like engineering, code-breaking, cartography and art & poetry. We also had 15 minutes to plan, practise and perform a short play.

My favourite paper of the day was engineering, in which we had to create a faster and more efficient way of loading passengers onto a plane. We ended up pretty much making a ski-lift out of materials provided such as straws, string and Plasticine. The papers were very challenging but it was a very interesting topic and we all learnt a lot.

Overall this was a great experience. Thank you to Ampleforth College for looking after us so well and a big thank you to Mrs Bonner-MacKenzie and Mr Goodhand for taking us.

Sports Scholars Trip

Our Sports Scholarship pupils spent an afternoon at Woodhall Spa Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic to find out more about the work of physiotherapists working in a sport setting.

The Clinic’s Director and Clinical Lead, Jack Shaw, delivered a session on sports physiotherapy with a particular focus on how it applies to the Sports Scholars at their age and point in their sporting journey.

Along with a presentation and practical lesson pupils also toured the physio suite and gym which is based at Woodhall Spa Golf Club.

The scholars were lucky enough to make a return visit and took part in a strength and conditioning session.

A Visit to the Civil War Centre

Following their visit to the Civil War Centre in Newark, Mr Jeffery asked some Year 7s to write about their favourite part of the day: Tour of Newark

The tour of Newark was really good and we got to see lots of monuments, buildings and places where the sieges took place and where important historical moments happened. We got to talk about all three sieges in detail, standing where they took place. We visited the church and the castle on which you could see cannonball markings on the bricks Annabelle J

The tour around Newark was really interesting. The castle was massive, I never knew it was that big. I learnt that Prince Rupert marched through the marketplace and had a big fallout with Charles I. He eventually left the town after a huge argument with Charles, with 100 more soldiers than he had entered Newark with.

Rupert B-W

Trial of King Charles I

After the tour we went back to the Civil War Centre and learnt about the trial of King Charles I and his execution. My favourite two facts were:

1. Sir Thomas Fairfax did not go to the execution, however there was a mysterious lady there who kept shouting out against the trial, and about 10 years after the trial people started to realise that the mysterious lady was most likely Sir Thomas Fairfax’s wife, Lady Anne Fairfax.

2. The executioner of King Charles l wore a mask so no one would recognise him and he also did not say the words he was meant to say when he killed the King as he did not want people to recognise his voice.

Megan B

After the trial the rest of us had to decide whether or not we would have signed the death warrant of King Charles I. We then did the beheading and after that we went for lunch.

Euan P

The Trip

I think the day was brilliant and I learnt a lot of things about the Civil War. My favourite part of the day was either the tour around Newark or the pike fight at the end.

Megan B

We went to Newark Castle which was the best part in my opinion. We also got to see all the marks/holes in the castle wall from the cannonballs.

Jemima S

Museum and Gallery

For this we went to the gallery and we had a clipboard to draw objects that we liked in there – for example, the matchlock musket, the amputation items and many more. We then wrote about them and showed the tour guide. We found out some cool facts about the objects as well. There was a projector in one of the rooms in the gallery and we watched two films and did some interactive activities and dressing up, it was very interesting and fun.

Euan P

We scouted out some objects in the museum we found interesting. I chose the two muskets which were really cool and we all tried on the armour, which was really heavy, and different pieces of clothing.

William L Arms and Armour

Last but not least, we learnt about armour and weapons. In groups we had to dress up one of our group members in an outfit and the other groups had to guess what type of soldier they were. In our group it was a musketeer. Then we had to learn how to load a musket. It was really hard! We had to do it in the time that they would have to do it in the olden days. For a great finish we had a foam pike fight. The Cavaliers won both rounds!

Ela H

This part of the day was definitely the best! First we had to identify different items of clothing and decide what kind of soldier they belonged to – the pikeman armour was really heavy! Next we learned how to load and fire a musket and how quickly musketeers had to load their guns in the sieges! We then learnt commands of attacking and defending in groups and then had a battle with pikes (pool noodles)!

Annabelle J

Castle Rising

Year 6 travelled to Norfolk under louring skies to visit the 12th century Castle Rising Castle.

Once the residence of Isabella (the “SheWolf of France”), the widow of Edward II, in whose death she had quite an involvement; the castle is now in a state of some disrepair but still retains many of the features studied in class.

We looked around the gatehouse and then the forebuilding, examining the carvings and the original Norman arches. Inside we saw a murder hole in the roof, some arrow loops and the impressive vestibule. The remains of the Great Hall, sans floor(!), looked spacious and the adjoining kitchens still had evidence of cooking and roasting. In the basement we tried to work out the depth of the well and then we made a circuit of the castle on top of the surrounding earthworks.

We were very fortunate to avoid the rain and also lucky to come across Greville Howard himself, Baron Howard of Rising who owns the castle, as he was trying out his new remote controlled mower on the grounds!

Year 6 Residential

Year 6 had a fabulous time on their residential.

Day one saw the children learn how to rig a boat before sailing off into the bay. The children all showed great teamwork and communication and most managed to stay dry! After a picnic lunch, they learnt how to play footgolf before finishing the day with a fish and chip supper in the park. Everyone was ready to head to the evening’s accommodation and enjoy garden

games before settling down for a good night’s sleep.

On day two, we woke to the smell of bacon and enjoyed breakfast together. The children made their own packed lunches and headed to the Humber Bridge for a six kilometre walk and the reward of ice cream before rock climbing in the afternoon. It proved a fun afternoon of challenges, races and aiming to beat records!

A fantastic residential – well done Year 6s!

Whole School Events

Remembrance

On Friday 10th November, we congregated on the Headmaster’s Lawn for our Remembrance Service.

It is always poignant to be joined by families and friends as we take time out of our busy lives to reflect and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Children held a clay poppy they had each made in their art lessons with Mrs Foote. Their poppies being the symbol of both Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.

Everyone observed the minute’s silence before the Reveille by Aydin T.

‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.’

Cauliflower Christmas Cards 2023

Once again, we were blown away by the fabulous range of Cauliflower Christmas Card designs.

Each year it seems to be harder to choose the winners in each category

Mr Wyld and Miss Henderson had the unenviable job of being the judges. After much deliberation, they announced the following winners:

Year Group Winners –awarded three set points each:

Pre-school/Nursery – Charlie B Reception – Arthur S

Year 1 – Georgia N Year 2 – Lola M

Year 3 – Cecily T Year 4 – Hetty C

Year 5 – Penelope L Year 6 – Rory S Year 7 – Maxwell D Year 8 – Grace L

Overall Winners

Prep Most Original Idea – Joseph F-S

Prep Best Use of Colour – Charlotte B

Pre Prep Most Original Idea – Charlie B

Pre Prep Best Use of Colour – Rosie F

Overall School Christmas Card Winner –

Penelope L

Well done to everyone and thank you to all for supporting the Cauliflower Christmas Card fundraiser.

Christmas Bake Off

The Parents' Association Christmas Fair saw the welcome return of the St Hugh's Bake Off this year.

The Dining Hall was full of fabulous contributions with some fantastic Christmas-themed cupcake designs!

It proved a very difficult but enjoyable job for our judges. Thank you to Mr Wilson (our Catering Manager), Mr Eric and Mr Adrian (our Bus Drivers) – they fully embraced their roles and transformed into Paul Hollywood, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig for the morning. Even Prue Leith made an appearance – aka Matron!

Well done to everyone who entered –you all deserved the Star Baker Award. Everyone's cakes went on sale at the Christmas Fair with wonderful feedback from buyers.

The prizes in the four categories were awarded to:

Nursery & Pre

Prep Best Tasting Cupcake:

1st – Conrad T

2nd – Monaco H

3rd – Lucy F

Nursery & Pre Prep Best Decorated Cupcake:

1st – Anayra N

2nd – Lana R and Finn R

3rd – Hugh C

Prep Best Tasting Cupcake:

1st – Lulu H

2nd – Rory S

3rd – George P

Prep Best Decorated Cupcake:

1st – Raul P

2nd – Tara P

3rd – Florence L

British Science Week

We were very excited to celebrate British Science Week.

As part of the many practical activities that pupils conducted in class, they incorporated the theme of Time.

Mrs Costello was very impressed by the number of entries to the poster competition and it was lovely to award the winners and runners-up with Easter treats.

Thanks to Mr Wilson and his team, we all enjoyed Christmas lunch together. There were some magnificent Christmas jumpers on display… we raised £313 for Save the Children.

Celebrating World Book Day 2024

Wow, what a day we all had celebrating World Book Day!

There were some amazing costumes as everyone chose their favourite book and enjoyed coming together to share the reason for their choice. World Book Day always proves a fantastic day to remind us all of the joy we feel when reading a good book and the importance of reading for pleasure.

Children took part in activities throughout the day. Year 5 pupils travelled to Lincoln to visit Waterstones bookshop while children in Pre Prep took a walk into the village to spend their book tokens.

The Tail Trail

Our charity fun run is always a much enjoyed event which brings the Spring Term to a close.

This year each set chose a charity and having heard about each one from the Set Captain in assembly, they then had the opportunity to vote for their favourite. It was Battersea who came out on top which resulted in the idea of The Tail Trail. Participants donned a vast array of dog themed costumes to tackle a one or three kilometre agility based course! It was fabulous to see so many entries – with over 90 guest runners from the St Hugh’s community getting involved. The course was very much enjoyed by all, as were the dog themed treats on sale following the run. The Easter Bunny handed out Cadbury's Creme Eggs as the children made their way through the ‘dog wash’ and across the finish line.

Thanks must go to the staff for setting up and marshalling the course and to the Parents’ Association for their support running the bake sale.

A huge thank you to the whole school community for supporting us to raise a total of £1,098.35 for Battersea.

Creative Disposition Day

Pupils enjoyed a day focusing on our Creative disposition following successful days relating to our Reflective, Challenge and Perseverance dispositions.

With the May Fayre approaching, pupils were set tasks relating to enterprise, having to create products to sell on their form’s stall as well as logos, slogans and even promotional videos for their ideas.

We began the day with an inspirational assembly delivered by Mrs Suzie Bateman, one of our parents who also runs the successful business SELF, with shops in Woodhall Spa, Lincoln and Harrogate. Hearing about her business journey was fascinating and the pupils all had great questions to ask Mrs Bateman about her experiences.

Pupils then went straight into form rooms to start developing their stall ideas. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 came up with some marvellous (though rather messy!) creations for their homemade Play-Doh and slime stalls, as well as doing some jewellery-making. Year 3 were very excited to share their ice cream creations and were definitely the group with the most creative ideas for business names and slogans! Year 4 went all-out with their promotional

posters, and Year 5 surprised even themselves with how many bracelets they were able to make in one day! Year 6 practised the art of face-paint design, and had a tricky time deciding which would be the most marketable ideas! Year 7 enjoyed using the laser cutter, on loan from Oakham School, as well as coming up with a fantastic video to market their must-have accessories.

Finally, Year 8 took over the cookery room, having researched recipes for freezable sweet treats.

In the spirit of enterprise, groups were also encouraged to consider profit and loss, ensuring that their stalls would be financially viable. Mr Ferguson also had a session with each group on creating a memorable jingle, and all pupils had the chance to create a promotional poster for the May Fayre.

It was wonderful to see the whole building abuzz with creativity and business ideas, and all classes worked incredibly hard as a team to bring their ideas to fruition.

May Fayre Posters

Pupils produced some fabulous posters during our Creative Disposition Day.

Along with creating products to sell on their form’s stall they designed logos, slogans, promotional videos and a poster to advertise the event.

Congratulations to the following pupils for their winning designs:

Reception Class – Ivy H

Year 1 – Monty R

Year 2 – Ottilie M

Year 3 – Cecily T and Harry L

Year 4 – Hetty C

Year 5 – Arabella G

Year 6 – Rory S

Year 7 – Megan B and Annabelle J

Year 8 – Peyton N

Our May Fayre was a huge success!

Boarding

“And just like that, the year has come to an end! I mentioned it last year, and I’ll say it again: what an incredible year it has been!

As I wrap up my second year, I can confidently say this truly is the best job in the world. It’s been a joy to create lasting memories while watching the pupils grow and learn to live away from home as they prepare for secondary school.

Our activity timetable continues to expand and fresh ideas keep pouring in! It’s fantastic to see pupils sharing their suggestions now that they are familiar with our routines and surroundings. A big thank you to all our local shops and facilities for their warm welcome throughout the year.

This year’s highlights include the Alice in Wonderland tea party, the Harry Potter sorting hat ceremony, Halloween festivities, "I’m a St Hugh’s Pupil, Get Me Out of Here," and the unforgettable Valen-Slime even – oh, the list goes on! So many activities have become favourites and there are definitely some we will repeat in the future.

We have also had plenty of exciting activities, such as the popular 40:40, swimming, bingo, Easter egg hunts, movie nights, and inflatables. Life in the Boarding House is always bustling!

It’s bittersweet to see our Year 8 boarders leave, but it’s heartwarming to know they are ready for the next step in their education. We wish them all the best at their new schools. I am pleased to announce that Toby O has been chosen as our new Boarding House Captain!

To our boarders for 2024/25, I encourage you to take the leap and try boarding, whether flexi- or full-time. Experience this adventure with your friends and create memories that you will cherish forever.

Thank you to all the families for your support over the past year! ”

Mrs Warwick-Smith Boarding House Parent

Sets

Our Sets (Red, White and Blue) bring together pupils from across the school to work together on a range of events and activities. Everyone is always keen to earn points for their individual set.

Spelling Bee

Prep School held the annual Set Spelling Bee – this year without Years 7 and 8 as they had already departed for their Netherlands Sports Tour.

Heats in English lessons over the week had resulted in a finalist representing each set in each year group, and all of the finalists were incredibly courageous standing up in front of all of their peers to spell some very tricky words aloud. All finalists won points for their set and there were even some tough tiebreakers!

The results were as follows:The results of the Spelling Bee Final were:

Year 3

1st – Taylor T (R)

2nd – Maya P (B)

3rd – Hollie F (W)

Year 4

1st – George P (R)

2nd – Annabelle B (W)

3rd – George C (B)

Year 5

1st – Edmund S (B)

2nd – Edward J (R)

3rd – Josh F (W)

Year 6

1st – James F (B)

2nd – Josh N (W)

3rd – George C (R)

This meant that Blue Set and Red Set were the overall joint winners.

A huge well done to all of the spelling finalists and a big thank you to the Prep School pupils and staff who supported what has now become a nail-biting annual set competition!

A Wet Set Cross Country

What an afternoon we had for our Annual Set Cross Country which brought the first half of a busy term to a close.

Every pupil in Prep School ran for their set in age group races in front of a large crowd cheering them on. With an abundance of rain, the course was altered to ensure the safety of all runners. With all three age groups staying onsite, the spectators actually got more opportunity to see the children run, so every cloud has a silver lining! It was lovely to see some of our former pupils return too. Distances remained relatively similar, with the U13s completing a three lap course, U11s one and a half and U9s one.

Though cross country is not everyone’s favourite, it is a real test of resilience and we certainly witnessed this over the course of the afternoon. It takes a lot of grit and determination – especially in the conditions we had. Well done to all participants for contributing set points and particular congratulations to our podium finishers!

U9 Girls

1st – Harriet T (W)

2nd – Faith S (B)

3rd – Annabelle B (W)

U9 Boys

1st – Beau B-W (W)

2nd – Giovanni C (R)

3rd – Edward R (R)

U11 Girls

1st – Charlotte J (R)

2nd – Arabella G (R)

3rd – Coco W (R)

U11 Boys

1st – Sebastian F (W)

2nd – Joshua N (W)

3rd – Rory P (B)

U13 Girls

1st – Florence L (W)

2nd – Charlotte T (R)

3rd – Kitty W (R)

U13 Boys

1st – Rupert B-W (W)

2nd – Aydin T (B)

3rd – Charlie T (W)

Set Results

1st – White

2nd – Red

3rd – Blue

Set Christmas Tombola

The Christmas Fair tombola stall was organised as a set competition.

Children were asked to bring in items such as advent calendars, decorations or anything Christmas-related. Each set was eager to win the prize of Christmas decorations for the Dining Hall in their set colour.

The donations were counted and verified and congratulations went to Red Set:

Red Set – 113 items

Blue Set – 74 items

White Set – 68 items

The Dining Hall looked fabulous all decorated in red.

Wellbeing

Children’s Mental Health Week

We joined in with Place2Be's Children's Mental Health Week.

In assembly, we discussed how to be a good listener and chatted about who we could talk to in school.

Everyone was encouraged to ‘Find Your Voice’ and think about how we can all make a difference. We thought about the ways we can use our voice to make ourselves feel better and Mrs Wallis challenged everyone to the game: “Try Not To Sing 2 – these songs from Sing 2 are too good not to join in with, can you complete this impossible challenge?” It certainly was impossible and the songs were stuck in our heads all day!

Maisie, our Wellbeing Dog, took her role very seriously and was on hand to greet children in Pre Prep celebrating their WOW Hot Chocolate Awards with Mr Wyld.

Children created a display focusing on the different aspects of mental health.

Our School Council marked the start of Anti-Bullying Week with Odd Socks Day.

Mental Health Awareness Week

To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week we welcomed Shine Lincolnshire, a mental health charity, to our Monday morning assembly.

It is always beneficial to remind ourselves of the ways we can look after our mental health and wellbeing. Following a presentation and discussion on the Five Ways to Wellbeing everyone enjoyed meeting the charity's mascot, Bert!

Hobbies

Pupils in Year 3 and above choose from a wide range of hobbies which take place four days per week between 4:10pm and 5:00pm.

As well as opportunities to improve their sport, musical or acting skills pupils can participate in many different activities over the three terms. This year was no exception with a wide range of hobbies each term to pick from!

Aquathlon

Athletics

‘Blooket’ making and quizzes

Board games

Boxercise

Chess

Christmas craft club

Classical civilization

Computer competitions and challenges

Cookery

Craft club

Cricket training

Cross stitch

Curriculum clinic

Design and technology

Diamond painting

Drama

Football

Fun swimming

German

Girls’ rugby

Golf

Gymnastics

Hockey

Jazz band

Judo

Junior play practice –

Peter Pan

Lego

Lincoln City Netball Club training

Mindful colouring

Movie time

Music theory

Netball

Non-verbal logic challenges

Off-road cycling

Outdoor art

Outdoor imaginative play

Petanque

Plastic model making

Polo

Pop choir

Rounders

Running club

Scholars’ art

Scrapbooking

Senior 5-a-side football

Senior play rehearsal – We Will Rock You

Softball cricket

Sports hall games

Swim squad

Tennis

Veggie patch gardening

Art & Design

Art

St Hugh's pupils were busy in their art lessons exploring a variety of different materials and techniques.

All pupils created a clay poppy for Remembrance Day this year, showing a varying degree of detail according to year groups.

Years 3 and 4 pupils studied the Romans and the Vikings in humanities, which was reflected in their art work. Each pupil made a cardboard Roman shield (which was used as an essential part of their Roman dress-up day!), alongside mosaics and cardboard Roman ships.

Years 5 and 6 pupils learnt about various Pop Art artists before creating their own colourful portraits.

Years 7 and 8 pupils planned and created their own acrylic artworks using the subject matter of their choice with some stunning results!

The seasons always provide plenty of art opportunities with every child making their own Christmas decoration to be displayed on the school Christmas tree.

Thanks to the Parents’ Association we now have several cameras which can be used by pupils.

Year 8 students took some beautiful summer photographs which went on display in the Library.

Congratulations to our featured artists and to all pupils, who have applied themselves so creatively this year!

1. Poppy H, Y8

2. Gio C, Y4

3. Willow G, Y3

4. Tabitha H-S, Y6

5. Lucy F, Y2

6. Annabelle J, Y7

7. Amelia F, Y8

8. Maya P, Y3

9. Amelia F, Y8

10. Bertie P, Y2

11. Hettie C, Y4

12. Sophie T, Y8

13. Freddie S, Y3

14. Ottilie M, Y2

15. Year 2 autumn lamps

16. Rory P, Y5

Design & Technology

As part of their DT lessons, pupils in Year 5 and above developed their practical skills in cookery, woodwork, electronics and textiles.

Oakham School once again very kindly gave us use of one of their laser cutting machines during the Summer Term.

Pupils loved using the 2D design software to design a variety of products which they then made using the machine. Most notably, Year 7 pupils designed and produced laser cut wooden keyrings which they sold at the May Fayre.

Senior pupils in Years 7 and 8 created a variety of children’s toys in the DT workshop including wooden marble runs and moving cam toys.

Year 6 pupils created their own Roman catapults using a range of tools in the DT room and much fun was had testing these!

Across the year groups pupils were busy in the cookery room making a variety of dishes and treats including pizza, quesadillas, salads and flapjacks.

Textiles was also covered with older pupils creating felt Christmas decorations to decorate the school tree.

17. Charlotte J, Y6

18. Lulu H, Y6

19. Charlotte T, Y8

20. Lucia H, Y8

21. James F, Y6

22. Year 7 May Fayre products

23. Callan N, Y5

24. Amelie C, Y8

25. Raul P, Y8

Music & Drama

Harvest Festival

The first big event on the St Hugh’s musical calendar was the Harvest Festival.

As our senior pupils were away on the Sports Tour to the Netherlands, this year we celebrated the changing of the season with pupils from Nursery to Year 6. It was a wellattended event, with St Peter’s Church full to the brim with pupils, families and friends of St Hugh’s.

Leading the service was Revd Canon Paul Noble. A huge thank you to Fr Paul for his address, which told of the importance of remembering promises and the story of Noah. Year 6 pupil, James F, delivered an articulate reading with poise and purpose. Well done, James!

Hymns included some assembly classics, including “Autumn Days”, which is particularly fitting for our wider community, particularly those of the Royal Air Force, as it features the line “Jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled, all these things I love so well”.

Pre Prep, including Nursery and Pre-school (for the first time) delivered a stunning performance of “Bean Harvest”, including actions of runner beans, broad beans, French beans, chilli beans and baked beans! They did an incredible job and should be very proud of their performance.

Years 3 to 6 performed “For The Harvest”, a catchy, toetapping tune with a message of thanks for crops and being mindful of the things that we waste. The children certainly sang with gusto!

During the service, pupils gave donations of food to the Woodhall Spa Food Bank and a retiring collection raised over £180 towards the Woodhall Spa Group of Parishes. A huge thank you to pupils and parents for their generosity, and to St Peter’s Church for hosting us once again.

Brass Day

In November, all pupils in Years 3 to 5 participated in the very first St Hugh’s Brass Day.

Mr Richards, our brass teacher, led workshops throughout the day to teach the pupils all about different brass instruments and how to play them. Pupils used the pBuzz instruments to develop sounds and experiment with different pitches of notes. Some pupils also had the opportunity to have a go on traditional instruments such as the cornet, trumpet, French horn and trombone. The workshops concluded with pupils improvising and jamming along on their instruments with Mr Richards and Mr Ferguson. It was an incredibly fun day and pupils walked away with a love of brass instruments.

Pre Prep Nativity

Our Pre Prep children get the first opportunity to tread the boards on stage with their annual Nativity performance.

This year, they gave a Strictly Come Dancing themed performance of Bethlehem Ballroom, by Tom Kirkman and Matthew Crossey. They took to the floor as Bethlehem’s newest ballroom opened its doors to the many visitors arriving for the census. For the guests who have arrived early enough, it is party time and the music is playing! For those faced with a longer journey – such as Mary and Joseph – it means there is no room anywhere!

Featuring a samba, waltzes and swing music, this eclectic collection of tunes got the audience dancing along and having a ball. The children delivered a remarkable performance and thoroughly enjoyed themselves on stage. Each child worked incredibly hard learning their lines and taking direction from Miss Henderson, and should all be incredibly proud of their efforts. A huge thank you to all of the Pre Prep staff and others involved in supporting our children through rehearsals and performances.

Christmas Concert

As we approached the end of the first term, festivities began with the Christmas Concert, the first in the annual calendar of formal concerts.

We are incredibly lucky to hold this event at St Peter’s Church, Woodhall Spa, providing a wonderful setting for this occasion. The concert is designed to gradually fade into Christmas, with non-Christmassy pieces being played first, leading into traditional Christmas favourites, leaving the audience geared up for the wonderful few weeks ahead.

This year, various soloists performed, including a rousing rendition of “Jupiter” by Toby O on saxophone, Jenson G playing “Ladies In Lavender” on clarinet and Joseph L with his debut solo performance on violin playing “Minuet”, completely from memory!

The various ensembles and choirs had their first outing of the year, and performed brilliantly. This year, the orchestra concluded proceedings with “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”, getting the audience tapping their feet and energised for the festive period. Particular thanks must go to the fantastic team of visiting music teachers who help prepare the children for their performances. Their high standards and encouraging tutelage always push our young musicians to raise the bar and achieve a high level of performance.

Christmas Carol Service

The St Hugh’s annual Christmas Carol Service marks the end of the first term for students, staff and parents alike.

We bring the whole school together at St Peter’s Church to celebrate the term's efforts, as well as giving an opportunity to reflect and consider the Christmas story. As ever, it is a firm favourite for those in attendance and a fitting end to the first 12 or so weeks of learning.

The service began with our head chorister, Lucia H, singing the unaccompanied solo verse of “Once In Royal David’s City” as the choir processed through the church. She sounded amazing, and, despite some nerves beforehand, certainly rose to the occasion. A huge “well done” to Lucia! Other hymns included “O Come, All Ye Faithful”, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, amongst other firm Christmas favourites.

Various readings punctuated the hymns, retelling the Christmas story. A pupil from each year group delivered a reading from the pulpit, again showing confidence, and comfort with public speaking, to a full venue.

Pre Prep sang a song from their Nativity performances. “Wise Men Waltz” provided energy, enthusiasm and smiles all round as it filled the church with our wonderful young voices.

The St Hugh’s Choir performed “Silent Night”, merging from the simple tune to a full blown jazzy rendition! This year, we also featured a solo from a promising young singer from our Pre Prep. Sienna O performed “Sleep Little Baby Jesus”, reprising her role as Mary from the Nativity. She sang beautifully, and was not fazed by the huge audience in front of her. Very well done, Sienna!

A huge thank you to St Peter’s Church for hosting us once again, as well as Revd Canon Paul Noble for his address and Mr Alan Underwood for his fantastic organ playing.

Lincoln Music and Drama Festival

March is always a busy month in the Music Department, with the first event being the Lincoln Music and Drama Festival, held at the Central Methodist Church.

This year, the St Hugh’s School String Ensemble and the St Hugh’s School Jazz Band competed in their respective classes.

The String Ensemble performed three pieces, including “Sword Dance”, “Old MacDonald” (complete with farmyard noises!) and a medley of Scottish folk tunes.

The Jazz Band performed “C Jam Blues” and “Cantaloupe Island” merging into “Green Onions” and featured improvised solos from instrumentalists.

Both ensembles had huge success, as they were placed first in each category, with some very useful and complimentary comments from the judge.

There was an extra bit of jeopardy this year as there was a cup awarded for the best overall performance. The Jazz Band pipped the String Ensemble to the post by a single point, bringing home the Gertrude Gaunt Trophy (which the String Ensemble won in 2023).

Huge congratulations must go to all of the children involved. They represented the school immaculately and played their parts wonderfully. Thanks also to Mrs Karen Jones, the strings teacher, for leading and supporting the String Ensemble.

After weeks of practice and rehearsals, our musicians performed a morning of festive music at The Inn, Woodhall Spa. It was wonderful to welcome parents to watch and entertain guests while they enjoyed a cup of coffee. Everyone left feeling more in the Christmas spirit. Later in the week, they performed at the Woodhall Spa Christmas Market to entertain the crowds as they waited to see Father Christmas.

Junior Concert

Our Junior Concert is one of the highlights of the Spring Term. It features every single child from Years 2 to 6. This year they were all singing and playing instruments.

Year 2 performed a piece composed by themselves on the recorder. It was named “Jazzy Pants” and featured a We Will Rock You ending to tie in with the upcoming senior production. Year 3 played in a djembe drum circle, performing “Jabba Jabba Djembe”. Year 4 formed a ukulele ensemble, performing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”. Year 5 took to the pBuzz to play a piece titled “Long Note”, featuring some improvisation and lots of movement whilst playing! Year 6 played more traditional instruments, performing “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman.

Also featured were the St Hugh’s School Pop Choir, singing “Party In The USA”, again with a dance routine and some superb vocal quality. There were a number of soloists taking to the stage, including some first time performers. Olivia A and Genevieve C graced the stage in their debut performances, singing “Singin’ In The Rain” and “In My Own Little Corner” respectively.

Speech and Drama Festival

Our Speech & Drama Festival Concert was the perfect showcase for the wealth of talent across the whole school.

Well done to all of the performers: Reception: Minibeasts, Minibeasts, Move Around by Anon | Year 1: We’re Going on a Lion Hunt by David Axtell | Year 2: ‘Strict’ by Michael Rosen | Maya P, Libby H, Willow G & Bonnie W (Year 3): George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl | Beatrix K (Year 3): The Witches by Roald Dahl | Freddie S (Year 3): The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl | Hollie F, Abi B, Niya C, Cecily T & Jemima C-T (Year 3): Matilda by Roald Dahl | Year 4: ‘The

Highwayman’ by Alfred Noyes | Hugo H-S (Year 3): ‘The Chocolate Lover’s Week’ by Joanna Miller | Middle School Drama Hobby (Years 3-5): ‘Spring’ devised & directed by Ela H | Tara P, Arabella G & April S (Year 5): Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl | Camilla T (Year 6): ‘The Tyger’ by William Blake | Toby O, Drama Scholar (Year 7) ‘After Ever Happily’ by Ian Serraillier | Megan B & Lucia H (Year 7):‘First Date?’ from Me, My Selfie & I by Jonathan Dorf | Ela H, Drama Scholar (Year 7): ‘The Escapologist’ from Matilda the Musical by Dennis Kelly & Tim Minchin | Grace L, Drama Scholar (Year 8): ‘Hope Is A Thing With Feathers’ by Emily Dickinson | Year 8: ‘People Need People’ by Benjamin Zephaniah.

James F debuted on the clarinet playing “Hatikvah”, and Emily G made her first performance playing “Sakura” on flute. Returning performers included Sam H and George G on cello (“Turkey In The Straw” and “City Lights”), Lulu H singing (“Maybe”) and Rory S on trumpet (“The Bare Necessities”). It really was a varied programme featuring our young musicians!

The grand finale of the concert included every child singing “Count On Me” by Bruno Mars, followed by every child playing an instrument alongside our award winning St Hugh’s School Jazz Band, playing “C Jam Blues” and some children took turns improvising with them. It was great to see the children’s enthusiasm and joy as they played and watched their peers perform. Mr Ferguson is incredibly proud of the children…they are always full of energy and perform with gusto and passion. A huge thank you to all involved in another terrific concert!

Senior Production: We Will Rock You

Each year, our senior pupils deliver a production in the Spring Term.

Having been learning lines, songs and dances since the start of September, the production premiered in March with a matinee performance, followed by two evening performances. This year, the production was We Will Rock You (Young@Part edition), by Ben Elton.

Featuring chart-topping Queen songs including “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody To Love,” “We Are the Champions,” and many more, this adaptation of the West End show follows two young rebels, Galileo (Toby O) and Scaramouche (Sophie T), along with the Bohemians, led by Oz (Ela H) and Brit (Jenson G), who try desperately to go under the radar of the iPlanet leader, Killer Queen (Lucia H) and restore rock ‘n’ roll to “the iPlanet” in a post-apocalyptic world.

All of our leading characters gave fantastic performances, navigating tricky harmonies, explosive dance routines and incredible acting. Every child from Years 7 and 8 had a role to play and all of them absolutely “rocked”! It was fantastic to see their smiles and collective team spirit throughout the rehearsals. The audience was ever-appreciative of the skills on show and thoroughly enjoyed the familiar tunes. Thanks to Mrs Bonner-MacKenzie, Mr Ferguson, Miss Hainsworth and Miss Henderson for all of their help and guidance throughout the process of rehearsing and performing the show. Thanks also to the backstage staff, as well as Mr Goodhand on sound and lights and Mrs Foote for the spectacular scenery.

Oakham Musical Enrichment Day

In May, Oakham hosted a musical enrichment day for advanced Year 7 musicians.

Megan B was lucky enough to be invited and had a wonderful time. The day consisted of a solo workshop, ensemble skills and closed with a small, informal concert.

The solo workshop focused on finessing soloist performance skills with two of Oakham’s music staff. Megan performed “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”, which was beautifully received.

Following this, a small ensemble workshop was held, focusing on working as an ensemble and on sight reading skills. Three pieces were rehearsed, including “Hava Nagila”, “The Bare Necessities” and “I’ve Got My Eye On You” from the Pirates of The Caribbean films. Megan was chosen to lead the group, counting in and ending the pieces with gesture, rather than using a conductor.

Overall, the day was filled with musicmaking and teamwork. A huge thanks to Mr Foster at Oakham for putting on this fulfilling and inspiring day.

Junior Play: Peter Pan

The St Hugh’s Junior Play, in a change to previous years, was performed at the end of the Summer Term, featuring all pupils from Years 3 to 5.

This year, they performed Peter Pan The Musical, written by Mark, Helen and Naomi Johnson.

Peter Pan (Arabella G), Tinkerbell (Genevieve C and Maddie L), the Lost Boys, and Wendy (Olivia A), Michael (Seb F) and Jenny Darling (April S) encounter predatory pirates, wild warriors, shimmering but shallow mermaids and a crocodile with an insatiable appetite for Captain Hook (Alastair O)!

The whole cast worked tremendously hard learning their

lines, choreography, singing and performance as a whole. It was an incredible show, full of witty one-liners and fantastic songs. All of the children should be extremely proud of their collective efforts. Thanks to Miss Fish for directing the show and running the rehearsals, Miss Hainsworth for her choreography, Mr Ferguson for the music, Mr Goodhand for lighting and sound, Mrs Foote for scenery, Mrs Ellicker-Campling for costume design and Mr Jeffery and Mr Pickering for their help with the staging.

Summer Gala Concert

This year, the Concert acted as a vehicle to celebrate and congratulate our leaving musicians, particularly those performers in Year 8.

A high percentage of pupils in this year group have explored musical opportunities available to them, creating a very talented group of children. As always, an event such as this is bittersweet. We recognise the children’s collective talents, but also have to realise they are moving on to their respective future schools.

The school choir began proceedings with “Seasons Of Love” from the musical Rent. This recognisable tune set the standard very high for the rest of the concert! “525,600 Minutes. How Do You Measure A Year?”, a fitting reflection of the work completed throughout the pupils’ learning journey at St Hugh’s School. All of the school ensembles performed, as well as the school orchestra and very talented soloists. Particular highlights included Jenson G playing drums as well as saxophone, having only started learning the latter in the final weeks of term. He got the audience raving in their seats with his rendition of “Jubel”! Lucia H gave her final singing performance of the year, with “Speechless”. This was truly fantastic, exuding power and confidence. Florence L played piano and violin, showing versatility and prowess on each

instrument. She gained a Music Scholarship to Worksop, so many congratulations to her!

The whole Year 8 cohort came together to give a performance of “Shotgun” by George Ezra. This performance was dedicated to a previous classmate, Joshua L, who left the school in earlier years, but obviously had a huge impact on his peers.

The finale to the concert was a surprise to the audience. Every child that had performed previously, the orchestra and choir included, gave a spectacular performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”. All musicians came together brilliantly, despite having only a single rehearsal, immediately before the concert! Mr Ferguson's ambitious arrangement was a fitting end to proceedings, getting all of the children together at the same time to be celebrated by the wonderful audience.

All of the children should be applauded for their incredible performances and achievements during their time at St Hugh’s. We will miss you all and wish you the very best of luck and success as you move forwards. An enormous “well done” to all involved in performing, as well as the team of peripatetic instrumental and vocal teachers, without whom none of this would have been possible.

Exam Success

Throughout the year, musicians and singers are put forward for music examinations with various examining bodies.

Working alongside our dedicated team of peripatetic staff, our musicians work extremely hard to rehearse their pieces, develop their technique and create outstanding performances. Praise is deserved by all of our musicians but especially those that undertake examinations. Particular congratulations go to:

Grace L – Grade 5 Singing for Musical Theatre with Merit

Megan B – Grade 5 Singing and Grade 4 Flute

Jenson G – Grade 5 Clarinet

Aydin T – Grade 4 Trumpet

Peyton N – Grade 2 Viola with Merit

Lulu H – Grade 3 Singing for Musical Theatre with Merit

Genevieve C – Grade 2 Singing with Merit

James F – Grade 1 Clarinet with Merit

Alexandra L – Grade 1 Recorder with Merit

Emilia S – Grade 1 Singing for Musical Theatre with Distinction

Our Jazz Band entertained the crowds at the Lincolnshire Show!

Forest School

Autumn Term

It has been another busy year in the woods for the pupils at St Hugh’s.

We started the Autumn Term by reminding ourselves how to keep safe in Forest School. The children picked berries and made hedgerow jam as well as churning their own butter.

We linked to festivals and traditions by making our own pumpkin soup on the fire and safely lit sparklers in the twilight forest sessions.

Getting creative, the pupils used clay to make numerous items inspired by the woodland backdrop, including hedgehogs, owls, green men and animal pots.

The children also learnt about the habitats of some of the creatures we share the woods with. After reading The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark in English, Year 3 pupils dissected owl pellets in Forest School too!

The pupils used tools in the festive period, including sheath knives for whittling and hammers for Hapa Zome and hand drills to make their festive crafts.

Spring Term

In St Hugh’s tradition we started the Spring Term by ‘wassailing’ and giving thanks to the woods and hoping for a bountiful harvest.

As part of the RSPB’s bird watch the children made bird feeders and identified and counted birds on the school grounds.

When it was too windy to go to the woods, the pupils made kites and flew them on the top field and learnt all about wind and how to measure it. They also celebrated the year of the dragon and hunted for dragon eggs in the woodland.

Fires were lit, and many pancakes and hot cross buns were enjoyed.

The students looked after the woods, and learnt about the natural environment too – they planted trees and collected litter, and we even saw frogs and frogspawn in the pond!

Summer Term

During the Summer Term the older pupils challenged themselves to learn how to use a bow drill to light a fire. It took great perseverance and teamwork, allowing the students to demonstrate a number of the school's dispositions.

In Pre Prep the children got crafty on Bat Appreciation Day, making mirror paintings and also learning how bats travel around using echolocation. The students also used their skills of observation and identification on bug and scavenger hunts, working together collaboratively.

Towards the end of the term the children built their own boats from natural materials. They tested their boats before setting sail to them down bamboo chutes and channels. We learnt about buoyancy, and through trial and error everyone worked out the best materials to use for their vessels.

The term ended with celebrations, snacks and play. Well done everyone!

Rugby Sport

We were delighted to win the School category for the Lindum Lincolnshire & LTA Tennis Awards for the second year running.

Aydin T

U8 Rugby

For some of the U8 players, rugby at St Hugh’s is their first taste of the sport.

From the first match away at Ranby House, when we looked a little green but gelled well and supported each other superbly, to the final games at Ayscoughfee Hall, the U8 team went on a learning journey of ups, downs and amazing progress. Initially we were a little tentative and some basic errors were evident (such as forward passing) but there was the nucleus of a good team and pace in abundance. We worked on providing support for the ball carrier and learnt that sometimes passing before being tagged is a forward-thinking tactic. Several triangular fixtures and some festivals followed, including our own St Hugh’s Festival. These were excellent opportunities to test ourselves against

U9 Rugby

The U9 boys approached the rugby season with eager anticipation.

As per the RFU age grade regulations, this was their first introduction to contact rugby. The boys rose to this challenge and with some tackling input from Mr Short early on, they quickly developed their technique and grew in confidence. Despite some of the boys being a little apprehensive at the thought of tackling, it did not take them long to realise that with good technique they could bring their opponent down. From tackle bags to terrifyingly fast feet, it was fabulous to see them put in some great tackles during open play! Looking back to their first contact fixture against Ranby House, their

many different schools in short matches. It was evident that we had made great progress in teamwork, handling and supporting each other. What was most impressive was the proficiency with which we tagged opposition players. It is quite a tricky task to grab hold of a slender strip of material flapping wildly from the hips of an elusive opponent, but there were masters of this skill throughout the team.

From Ralph J-B, Charlie S and Joseph F-S sprinting doggedly after their opposite number, to Taylor T, George G and Harry L making spectacular dives at players who had had the temerity to break through our defences, we achieved more turnovers of possession through tagging

progress over the course of the season was impressive. Beau B-W and Edward R showed real grit and determination putting in tackle after tackle. Gio C, being new to rugby, was a little tentative initially but it did not take him long to get stuck in. George P, renowned for his love of diving in all sports, showed great commitment when going in for the tackle.

Unfortunately, not all schools introduce contact rugby to their players so the boys also faced a number of opposition teams in tag and touch matches. Nonetheless, these are both great games which help to develop a number of skills, even at the top level. This included playing alongside the U8 boys in a number of fixtures and it was great to see them leading by example. There were some fabulous tries scored including some great runs down the wing by Edward P and Joshua M. George C demonstrated good support in attack, following the ball carrier and

than I have ever known in many years of U8 rugby. By the end of the season it was clear that each of our players had made super progress in their understanding of the game; gaining traits that will stand them in good stead throughout their rugby careers at St Hugh’s and beyond.

Mr Jeffery

distributing the ball well, often prior to taking contact. In possession, there were some outstanding performances by Beau B-W and Gio C, who demonstrated fabulous agility and speed when running with the ball. Defensively, the boys worked hard as a team to slow down play and made some fabulous tags/touches to win numerous turnovers.

Well done to all players.

Mrs Felton

Autumn Term Sporting Achievements

Rugby Captain

Rugby Colours

Full: Aydin T, Jenson G Half: Wilf H-S, William L, Maxwell D, Charlie T, Rupert B-W, Charles B

Hockey Captain Amelia F

Hockey Colours

Full: Sophie T, Amelia F, Florence L Half: Jemima S, Poppy H, Charlotte T

U 10 Rugby

The 2023 rugby season with the Year 5 boys proved to be a very successful and enjoyable one.

Six of the team play rugby for clubs at the weekend and this showed with the high level of skill and enthusiasm that they demonstrated. We started the season with a very close defeat away at Ranby House and followed it with a draw and victory against Witham Hall. It became evident that Joshua F and Rory P really enjoyed running at the opposition players with the ball, whereas the strategy of Edward J, Alastair O and Seb F was to run into gaps and away from the opponents. Both approaches proved successful and we had some very impressive victories against Lincoln Minster, Tranby, Burton Hathow, Grantham Prep, Brooke Priory and Leicester Grammar.

Henry E, Callan N and Edmund S all showed enormous improvement in their rugby during the season, one of the highlights was Callan N scoring four tries on our visit to Tranby! We finished the season with a return match against Ranby House and drew 4-4 which showed the improvement that the whole team had made during the season. Well played to all the boys.

Mr Pickering

U 13 Rugby

The U13 boys had a really pleasing season, growing as individual players but more importantly as a team.

The season kicked off with the eagerly awaited Sports Tour to the Netherlands.

We travelled away to Tranby for our first fixture; following just a few training sessions, the boys put in a solid performance playing in a variety of positions to experiment with our skill sets. The game finished 10-25 in favour of our hosts. Witham Hall was, as always, a challenging fixture but we performed well, leading for a large part of the game though we just lost out 10-25 again. Lincoln Minster followed, and we showed great attitude and determination, finishing the game with a win of 25-5. At De Aston School the boys displayed some superb rugby but so too did our hosts. We went try-for-try to the wire in a really tightly fought game. Unfortunately, the final whistle went before we could respond again, losing 15-20. Away to Stamford, we took the lead but unfortunately lost our captain to injury. In the second half, Stamford responded and managed

U 11 Rugby

A very enjoyable season with a really committed and entertaining group.

Everyone played their part in a set of excellent fixtures, from touch in the frost at Stamford to the usual muddy end of term fixtures against Leicester Grammar at their festival. It was great to see them progress from U10 rules to U11 with the increased focus on some of the key skills that make it a sport, rather than a game. As is always the case, we often travelled the length of the A1 for our fixtures but always with a supportive group of parents willing the boys on every Wednesday. We were lucky not to lose any fixtures due to weather which gave plenty of opportunity to develop as players and as a team.

It was always a pleasure to see them give their all on the pitch and with Sam H leading many a charge, Rory S, James F and George C carving up the field, supported by Joshua N and Ellis R-R. I was especially delighted to see Edward B and Noah G get stuck into the matches, with them all developing as impactful ball carriers. I am very much looking forward to seeing how they develop further as they move through the rugby continuum and play as U13s next year. Thank you to everyone, player and supporter, for a really enjoyable season.

Mr Wyld

to sneak one last try before the final whistle for a 10-15 loss. We bounced back against QEGS, Horncastle; St Hugh’s were really up for this game feeling that they had just lost out in the last two fixtures. Some great tackling and turnover ball saw St Hugh’s score a wealth of tries and finish on top with a 30-10 win. The final fixture saw us travel away to Wisbech for a festival where we met Wisbech Grammar, Greyhounds, Glebe House and Beeston Hall. We improved as the day progressed and finished the festival with one win, one draw and two losses. Thanks for a fantastic season boys – well done!

Mr Short

Rugby 7s

St Hugh’s opened its rugby 7s account with a trip to Leicester Grammar for their invitational festival.

The opening four games against the hosts, Lutterworth High, Stockport Grammar and Princethorpe College proved to be very challenging matches. However, the team worked incredibly hard for each other, defending superbly and being applauded for their efforts by the opposition at the end of the final

U 13 Girls’ Rugby

In March the St Hugh’s U13 Girls’ first rugby team was established, captained by Charlotte T.

Following just one training session the girls’ rugby team had their first competitive fixture against QEGS, Horncastle. We travelled in great spirits, excited to see how we would perform as a team. We agreed to play four quarters progressing from touch to contact rugby. The first quarter was touch and both teams started positively, moving the ball into space resulting in some quick tries being scored. We then moved to

game. Ending up in the plate final against Welland Park, Aydin T and Will C scored a couple of great tries in response to falling behind, however, we could not quite overhaul their lead to take the plate.

In a similar festival at the same venue, the U12 rugby 7s team had an equally challenging set of fixtures. They rose to the occasion superbly, and though having lost the first game against Lutterworth, St Hugh’s won their next two matches against Leicester Grammar and Wisbech Grammar to finish top of their pool and qualify for the cup competition! In the cup games Stamford took an early lead which we could not quite chase down, and then a rematch against Wisbech

unfortunately saw us narrowly defeated in the very last play of the game. The King’s Grantham match was a closely contested affair and very physical but, by sensibly moving the ball into wide areas we looked dangerous, took the lead and held on until the final whistle. We finished up second in the competition to Stamford which is a fantastic achievement for a school of our size.

Both teams showed remarkable teamwork and disciplined effort in this format of rugby which requires great levels of fitness and stamina. There was some great rugby played by St Hugh’s in both tournaments - well done boys!

Mr Short

the second quarter where we played touch and go to ground. Again, both teams worked well on falling to ground and presenting the ball. We finished the first half with a narrow lead, three tries to two. Our tries came from Sophie T (2) and Kitty W. For the rest of the match, the girls were keen to get into full contact rugby. The girls relished this opportunity and the development was amazing! They quickly learnt about carrying the ball through contact and made some great tackles resulting in the ball being turned over. This possession allowed for further tries through Charlotte T, Amelia F (2) and Sophie T (2). The final result was 8-5 and St Hugh’s girls’ first win! Player of the match as voted by the opposition was Amelia F. Well done girls – amazing effort and a great result!

Mr Short

Girls’ Hockey

U9 Girls’ Hockey

The U9 girls had a successful season.

For many it was a new sport and opportunity to represent the school in fixtures. The girls worked hard to build their ball and stick skills to enhance their control and overall play. There was lots of fun and match play to help build their confidence before the fixtures began. All of the girls have had the opportunity to play in all positions

against different schools and ability teams. It has been great to see their communication, teamwork and enjoyment shining through on the field. We hosted a hockey festival where many spectators attended to cheer on the teams and for the girls to show their skills. The sheer delight on the girls’ faces as they or a teammate scored is testament to their good characters and sportsmanship. Many of the girls have decided to take up hockey for a club outside of school and it is fantastic to see their enthusiasm and dedication towards hockey.

Miss Fish and Mrs Corner

U 11 Girls’ Hockey

The U11 girls had a fantastic season.

The girls had numerous opportunities to represent the school, with multiple pupils exploring the goalkeeper position; we were spoilt for choice. The girls worked hard from session to session, demonstrating commitment and enthusiasm for their training. We worked on various aspects of the game, which helped them raise their skill level and overall gameplay.

It has been fantastic to see their communication, teamwork, and happiness on the pitch, as well as their ability to recognise their own progress and success. Amongst a host of regular fixtures, we attended the Oakham Hockey Festival, where the girls finished fourth overall, which was an outstanding accomplishment. Special congratulations to Harriet T and Faith S, who played up a year group this season and successfully met the challenge.

Mrs Warwick-Smith

U 13 Girls’ Hockey

The U13 Girls’ Hockey A Team had a mixed season with four wins and four losses across the Wednesday fixtures.

The victories were against Lincoln Minster (7-0), Stamford (2-0), Oakham (1-0) and Witham Hall (1-0). The pleasing aspect of the term was that as the season went on the girls gelled better as a team, started to work for each other and played to their strengths and coached patterns on the pitch. This showed in our latter games and improved results.

The goalkeeper for the season was Charlotte T, with a defence of Sophie T and Poppy H. Captain Amelia F, Jemima S and Annabelle J ran the midfield with Kitty W and Florence L on the wings.

For the girls, one of the highlights of the season, regardless of the results(!) was the IAPS tournament at Framlingham College as this entailed an overnight stay and McDonald’s!

The B team had a more difficult season, but their game of the season was the high scoring 6-4 affair against Lincoln Minster. For the B team, Lucia H was the goalkeeper, Scarlett G, Gemma B and Peyton N defenders with Megan B and Ela H in the centre of the park. Alicia T, Grace L and Amelie C were the wingers.

Over the course of the term, all the girls progressed under our tutelage with some of the girls making notable improvements.

Mr Goodhand and Miss Blee-Storey

Football

U9 Football

Years 3 and 4 combined to generate a good sized U9 squad with some great ability.

We mixed across two teams (Red and Blue) to fulfil the fixture list and give the boys as much game time as possible.

The season kicked off against Lincoln Minster at home. After just a couple of training sessions the boys played some good football as a group of individuals. This did impact the result with one team losing 4-1 and the other team managing a 2-2 draw.

We worked hard on teamwork ahead of our U9 festival where we welcomed Ayscoughfee Hall, St George’s, St Martin’s Prep and Greenwich House. Again we split into two teams, every team playing everyone in a roundrobin format. This ultimately meant that St Hugh’s Red and St Hugh’s Blue met in the afternoon. The games did not disappoint and both teams played some great football, starting to link together to create some impressive passages of play. Both teams were awarded a PRIDE award for their effort and achievements (PRIDE is the Football Association’s values – Progressive, Respectful, Inclusive, Determined and Excellent).

In a rare opportunity, the Year 4 boys were called up to play a lower ability Witham Hall team. The boys played exceptionally well and moved the ball around the field well to create goal scoring chances. These came thick and fast and the boys finished up 5-2 winners.

St Hugh’s U9 squad had a further two fixtures against Ayscoughfee Hall and Grantham Prep. As was the norm we adopted two mixed teams to fulfil these fixtures and wrap up the football season. Both teams had been working hard on team play and linking together, and this resulted in the boys achieving some convincing victories.

A great football season with lots of development. Well done!

Mr Short and Mr Wyld

U 11 Football

The Spring Term is an opportunity for the boys in Years 5 and 6 to develop their skills in two sports –football and hockey – with football dominating the first half of term.

There were two A team and B team fixtures in which the spectators were treated to plenty of goals and some well-crafted passages of play.

On a small pitch at Lincoln Minster the A team managed brilliantly to string together passes and open up the opposition. Pleasingly, a range of scorers contributed to a 7-3 win. The following week at home against Witham Hall the team played superbly – one of the most aesthetically pleasing performances I have seen in many a year. After an uncertain start, our passing and movement was a joy to watch and we ended up 5-1 winners. James F played a real captain’s role, leading by example with some silky skills and encouraging his players admirably.

The B team enjoyed mixed fortunes in their fixtures – firstly, running out convincing 12-0 winners against Lincoln Minster (including a first-ever hat-trick for Noah G). Their game against Witham Hall was a tougher encounter and, though Seb F saved a penalty, the 1-9 scoreline reflected the strength of the Witham Hall team. There were several mixed ability matches – often when many of the boys were at cross country events. These games gave a good chance for pupils to play alongside, and against, skilful players that they may not otherwise have the chance to come across. On the whole, the pupils supported each other very well and often there was scope for trying out a variety of positions to gain greater understanding of what is required in different parts of the pitch.

The last fixture of the season, again with many away at cross country, was at an U10 festival at Brooke Priory. It was played in a great spirit, with no scores recorded, and with six tenminute matches the boys enjoyed a final flourish of football, with goals, tackles and thrills much in evidence!

Mr Jeffery and Mr Pickering

U 13 Mixed Football

A first at St Hugh’s! We welcomed a mixed U13 team from Wellow House for an afternoon of football.

We agreed to play 10 minute quarters to allow for any changes and so everyone could get as much game time as possible. Both teams arrived excited about the opportunity and the game definitely did not disappoint, with both teams playing with great spirit and everyone getting fully involved. The ball was pinged from one end of the pitch to the other very quickly which meant a quick change from attack to defence.

The tackling from both boys and girls was fantastic which again meant possession changed hands quite quickly. William L attempted a cross which carried over the keeper and into the back of the Wellow net, first goal to St Hugh’s. St Hugh’s had found their rhythm with through-balls working well for them. The ball found Toby O who crossed it in and William L was able to add to his tally with a tap into the back of the net. Wellow House started to link some passes together and a great shot got their first goal. Following some good passing by St Hugh’s, Megan B played the ball through for Toby O who got a good shot off, but the Wellow House goalkeeper reacted well and scrambled to stop it just before it crossed the line. A great experience for both teams and a really enjoyable afternoon of football for our U13s. Well played everyone!

Mr Short

Spring Term Sporting Achievements

Hockey Captain Aydin T

Full: Aydin T

Hockey Colours

Half: Maxwell D, Ted J, Jenson G, Rupert B-W, William L, Charlie T

Netball Captain Sophie T

Netball Colours

Full: Sophie T, Florence L, Amelia F Half: Poppy H, Charlotte T

Rugby 7s Captain Aydin T

Girls’ Cricket: Lincolnshire County Champions

Boys’ Hockey

U9 Boys’ Hockey

The boys had their first experience of competitive hockey and travelled to Witham Hall to play in their first hockey tournament.

All the Year 4 boys played as well as Ralph J-B from Year 3.

Our first game was against Laxton School. We were clearly full of enthusiasm as both teams chased the ball around the pitch, making passing quite difficult. George P did keep his position in defence and this certainly helped us keep a clean sheet. We scored the only goal of the game to give us a 1-0 win. Between games we discussed the importance of keeping to position and looking for space and our play improved markedly in the next two games. Beau B-W, George C and Gio C were all threats in attack, showing some nice stick skills. Edward R and Ralph J-B also showed determination, particularly when tackling and we scored a number of excellent goals in the next two games to win quite easily. We were also impressed by

Joshua M and Edward P, particularly in the final game against Maidwell Hall when both had shots on goal. A very successful afternoon.

Mr Short and Mr Pickering

U 11

Boys’ Hockey

The boys played matches against Burton Hathow, Lincoln Minster and Witham Hall, as well as taking part in two allday tournaments.

We travelled to Repton for the U11 IAPS hockey tournament. Both Tabitha H-S and Charlotte J were allowed to play in the team as they had not played in the girls’ competition last term. We expected some tough matches so we were determined to be solid in defence. Our first game was against Bilton Grange School who had some very skilful players. Sam H, Rory S and Tabitha H-S, along with some excellent saves from Joshua N in goal, kept them out for more than half the match, but pressure told and we conceded a goal. We tried hard to find an equaliser but could not quite do it. The second match against Leicester Grammar proved tricky. Although we had more attacks than the previous game, and actually had three penalty corners, we did not mark their forwards as effectively and conceded five goals.

The third match against Bluecoat School was very close with chances for both teams. Josh F, Rory P, George C and Charlotte J all combined well to create chances, with Josh F having the best shot on goal. Joshua N made three

excellent saves to keep Bluecoat School out and it ended 0-0.

We went into the plate competition and played Maidwell Hall in the quarterfinal. This was our best performance of the day with all the players looking much more confident and comfortable on the ball. We created a number of chances but couldn't quite put the ball in the goal. Maidwell Hall sneaked a goal towards the end of the game to win –rather against the run of play. Although we did not win any matches we played well and could easily have won a couple of games.

Our second tournament was at Bakewell for the S. Anselm's festival. We made a great start with a win in our first match against S. Anselm’s with some impressive hockey from the team and a well taken goal from George C. We then played Bablake School and again dominated the match with a number of close efforts on goal, particularly from Josh F and Rory P. It finished 0-0. The fact that Joshua N in goal had touched the ball once in the first two games shows how well we had played. We played Ranby House next, who had one very strong player who scored the first goal. We then had a number of good opportunities to score ourselves but could not quite beat their goalkeeper. The final game was against a strong Repton team; despite this, we think we

played our best hockey of the season in a 2-0 defeat, holding our own and coming close to scoring a number of times. Sam H was particularly strong in possession and James F and Edward B tried really hard in defence. A great effort all round and a little unlucky not to qualify for the semi-finals. A very encouraging season despite some tough matches.

Mr Pickering and Mr Jeffery

U13 Boys’ Hockey

The U13 boys’ hockey A and B teams both had quite successful seasons due to having strength in depth and a number of club players.

Both teams won more games than they lost. The As won four, lost three and drew one; the Bs won four, lost two and drew one.

The A team consisted of Ted J in goal with defenders of Jenson G and Maxwell D, captain Aydin T was in midfield with William L, left wing was Rupert B-W, right wing Wilf H-S and forward Charlie T.

The B team had Toby O in goal, William C, Joseph L and Raul P in defence, wingers were William S and Fergus V with Charles B and Euan P in the centre of the park.

Top scorers for the As were Charlie T (6), Aydin T (5) and Rupert B-W (4). For the Bs it was Charles B.

The two best fixtures were against Worksop College at home when both teams won 6-1. The other highlight of the term was a quadrangular at Oundle when the As beat Spratton Hall 2-0, Oundle 2-0 and drew 0-0 against Stamford. The Bs went one better and won all their three games 2-1.

Mr Goodhand

Netball

U 11 Netball

U9 Netball

Years 3 and 4 showed commendable enthusiasm and dedication throughout the netball season.

The excitement the Year 3s displayed for their first matches was heartwarming. Year 4 demonstrated excellent leadership by stepping into their positions, providing great support for their younger peers.

During our inter-school round-robin tournament the girls enjoyed rotating

The U11 girls had an excellent season.

We were able to field three teams each week, providing adequate playing time for all of the girls. Congratulations to the girls for switching teams each week to allow for opportunities across the cohort.

The A team grew from strength-to-strength as a team, making excellent improvement in fixtures. Their hard work during training really paid off! Their understanding of the positions and the game was definitely an asset.

The players on the B and C teams alternated between the two, and their ability to collaborate was exceptional. Their dedication to training was shown in fixtures where they played exceptionally well.

positions. It was a wonderful afternoon and the Year 4 girls excelled against their opponents, demonstrating both skill and sportsmanship.

Although unfortunate weather conditions led to the cancellation of many away games, it was rewarding to see how much the girls developed over the season.

It was a pleasure to coach the girls. Thank you to all the parents who came to cheer them on.

Mrs Corner & Mrs Ellicker-Campling

It was a delight to coach the girls this season and see their confidence increase. Among the teams, there are certainly some sports leaders who have demonstrated exceptional teamwork and support.

Mrs Warwick-Smith and Miss Blee-Storey

U 13 Netball

The U13 girls worked incredibly hard this season.

The A team had a super season enhancing their skills and connections on court. The girls have shown determination and had a successful season only narrowly missing out on a clean sweep. In February, eight girls were selected to go to Uppingham to represent the school at the IAPS U13 Netball competition.

Despite some windy conditions and some tough matches the girls persevered and built on previous matches to come out third in the plate. This was a super effort and they even had the opportunity to meet England

International, Hannah Joseph. We hope the girls take the skills they learnt and continue to develop as netball players.

The B team made fantastic progress this season. They improved individually and as a team. The girls had to work on applying training to matches and driving towards the ball. Playing 7-a-side has allowed players to get familiar with certain positions in both attack and defence. It has been great to see partnerships and triangles working together across court to gain possession and turn over the ball. Some memorable moments would be the Ranby House home match where the ball moved seamlessly down the court, shots were on point and they played to win. Well done girls, it has been a pleasure to coach you!

Miss Blee-Storey and Miss Fish

Cricket

U9 Cricket

The U9 cricket season saw 42 Year 3 and 4s training regularly and playing in fixtures against a good number of schools.

With such a large cohort we managed to field four teams which was fantastic! It was great to see all children applying what they have learned in training into their matches with some pleasing results. The children made great progress both as individuals and as part of their respective teams.

Despite some cancellations due to weather there were many highlights

U11 Softball Cricket

The U11 cohort had a very successful season, making incredible progress throughout the term.

With a large group, we fielded two softball teams, with each pupil having the opportunity to represent the school in a number of games. They worked hard in training to improve their batting and fielding abilities, and it was great to see them apply these more consistently during the season.

Our season-long strength was bowling; as time passed, our accuracy improved, and we took multiple wickets throughout games, contributing to our victory. Batting also improved as we saw some big hitters near the end of the season; initially, we could hit for fours, then sixes! Something the team never imagined. We still believe the pupils were

throughout the season. This included a large number of players scoring 4s and 6s as well as some superb singles, demonstrating our strength in communicating when batting. It was great to see so many of the players bowling accurately and taking wickets as a result! We have seen some superb catches out in the field and some very effective play in the outfield.

It was a pleasure coaching all of the children and watching their individual skills develop and their teamwork and collaboration grow. We look forward to seeing our Year 4 pupils progress to U11 cricket next season, some of which will play hardball.

Miss Fish, Mrs Corner and Mrs Felton

surprised by their own ability. The team's spirit stayed high throughout, and it was great to witness so much support on the pitch, which boosted team morale.

It has been a pleasure coaching the boys and girls this season, and we were thrilled with the improvement that was made. It was wonderful to see pupils transition from softball to hardball during the season. April S deserves special recognition for her dedication to both school and extracurricular training. Everyone enjoyed learning the game, and we have thoroughly enjoyed working with them over the term.

Mr Wyld and Mrs Warwick-Smith

U11A Hardball Cricket

A rather wet start to the season unfortunately reduced the number of our fixtures this year.

The team was ably led by Rory S who enthusiastically took on the responsibilities of selecting batting orders and fielding positions. We had a good blend of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils which boasted a solid batting line-up and accurate bowlers. James F and Rory P provided genuine pace and they picked up valuable wickets – usually by bowling the batter out. They were ably supported by Sam H, Rory S, Joshua F and Seb F with their reliably accurate medium pace.

As far as batting goes, Rory S and Rory P played with grace and style, the latter most notably against a strong Witham Hall side where he scored a classy 30 runs. Josh N batted confidently too and really knew how to protect his wicket with sensible shot selection, staying in longer than the average U11 player. Mention must also be made of Ellis R-R, James F and Alastair O’s innings at Ranby House when they stood firm, whilst established batters succumbed all too easily.

A highlight of the season was the pairs match away at Stamford where we dominated in the field and with the bat, and was memorable for superb run outs by George C and James F. Another standout performance was in the Pocklington 6s tournament where we comfortably won all three of our matches. There was a marvellous team spirit and each player contributed with fine performances, capped by Rory P’s rapid 16 not out in the final game.

It was fantastic to see the development of players from the softball version of the game to hardball. April S came in and proved her abilities in hardball practices, as did Edmund S and Callan N. Towards the end of term, George P from Year 4 joined us for a session too. All of these players look to be promising talents for next year’s team. Noah G deservedly joined the hardball team midway through the season, graduating from the softball side, and bowled confidently in school matches and practices alike.

Mr Jeffery

U 13 Cricket

The U13 cricket season was hampered throughout by wet weather and a number of games were cancelled, including the first scheduled match against Lincoln Minster.

The following week we hosted Worksop College and lost a tight match by 12 runs. Worksop College scored 94-6 and we were all out in the last over for 82. The next game was also an exciting finish when we defeated QEGS, Alford by two runs. We scored 99 runs in our 18 overs with Euan P top scoring. Alford seemed to be cruising to victory before Will C removed their main batsman and Wilf H-S, Aydin T and William L then picked up

U12 County Cup Team

The U12 team was very ably led by Euan P and had a great season.

The first round of the cup was against Lincoln Minster where we scored an impressive 149-2 after 20 overs with William L scoring his first ever half century. Lincoln Minster came up a long way short with wickets from Charlie T, Euan P, James F and William L all taking wickets.

The semi-final was against William Farr and was rather close. Euan P won the toss and asked William Farr to bat. He may have been regretting that as William Farr got off to a very fast start and had 38-0 after only four overs! A change of bowling brought a wicket with Rory S bowling one opener and then Euan P having the other well caught by Toby O. Rory P bowled a very impressive spell of four overs for only five runs, Euan P picked up two for nine in his four overs and Charles B had the impressive figures of three overs and four wickets for only 10 runs, he also had two run outs. William Farr finished on 99-9 after 20 overs.

In reply we started cautiously, making sure we did not lose too many early wickets. Rory S batted very well for 16 and Euan P batted very solidly. The required rate crept up to six an over but we ran very well between the wickets,

wickets to bowl them out for 97.

The next two matches against QEGS, Horncastle and Witham Hall were then rained off. The final game was against Spalding Grammar which we dominated and won quite easily.

Although half the games were rained off there was some good cricket played and Jenson G demonstrated some excellent captaincy and also kept wicket very impressively.

Mr Pickering

picking up a lot of byes and leg byes. Josh N scored some valuable runs meaning nine was required off the last over. Charles B hit the first ball for four but was bowled off the second meaning five was needed off the last four balls. Toby O arrived at the wicket and promptly hit his first ball for six leading to mass celebrations!

We played Stamford in the final, which was kindly hosted by Woodhall Spa Cricket Club. We lost the toss and Stamford elected to bat first. William L bowled a tight first over and, in general, we bowled and fielded pretty well. Although we restricted the scoring off the bat, the quite windy conditions probably contributed to too many wides and no-balls being bowled (around an extra 40 runs in the end). William L got the first wicket in the third over and was unlucky to not get a second but it was a no-ball. Charles B and James F were the pick of the bowlers, both getting three wickets each (all clean bowled) and

there was also an excellent run out from Will C. Stamford ended on 124-8 after the 20 overs. Tea was a very tasty burger cooked by Mrs Cobb and Mrs Yule on the barbecue.

We went out to bat and it was soon clear that Stamford had some very fast bowlers. Euan got an unplayable delivery and was bowled early on but Rory S and William L then batted really well to take the total into the 20s. Rory S was caught trying to hit over the top. Although we kept the score moving, we lost wickets quite regularly. Joshua N batted well and Charles B and Will C both added some important runs. In the end we were all out for 88 in the 19th over. A great effort against a school that has 120 boys in Year 7 to choose from – compared to our nine!

Well done to Euan P who has captained the team really well throughout the competition and to the whole team for getting to the final.

Mr Pickering

U13 Softball Cricket

The U13s had a great cricket season with lots of progression throughout the teams.

Many of the players got the opportunity to experience hard ball for the first time and there was lots of movement between the teams as ability and skills as a group were high. As a cohort they worked hard to expand their skills and understanding of the game and this showed in their match play, from communication to tactical elements of game play.

Both teams found success in most of the games with some closely contested matches.

The highlight for the girls was taking part in the Oakham cricket clinic where they were taught new skills and practices by the Leicestershire female professionals, which was a great inspiration for the girls.

Miss Blee-Storey and Mr Goodhand

U 13 Girls’ Cricket

The girls had a really successful season, becoming Lincolnshire Indoor Cricket champions and representing Lincolnshire at the regional finals at Cambridge University. We were given a free passage through to the semi-final stage and hosted Sir John Nelthorpe and Spalding Academy at St Hugh’s.

We played two excellent games, winning them both (although one of them by only two runs) and qualifying for the final away against Grantham and Kesteven Girls’ School. This was a tricky game against a very good

team on a surface that did not bounce very much. We bowled very tightly, particularly Florence L and Sophie T and kept Grantham down to 54, which we thought we would get. However, they had some excellent bowlers and after three of the eight overs we only had eight runs. We then ran on pretty much every ball, which panicked the opposition and we eventually won in the last over, thanks to a great team effort.

The regional final in Cambridge was played at Cambridge University Sports Centre with eight teams from different counties from Lincolnshire in the north, down to Essex in the south. There were some big schools and the standard was very high. Although we did not quite win any of our group matches we put in some great performances and all the girls should be proud of getting so far in the competition.

Mr Pickering

Summer Term Sporting Achievements

School Records Broken

Athletics

Summer Term Sporting Achievements

Cricket Captain Jenson G

Cricket Colours

Full: Aydin T, Jenson G, Amelia F, Sophie T

Half: Euan P, William L, Charles B, Toby O, William C, Charlie T, Maxwell D, Jemima S, Alicia T, Kitty W, Florence L, Wilf H-S, Poppy H, Charlotte T

Athletics Captain Florence L

Athletics Badge* Florence L, Charlotte T, Amelia F, Charles B, Jemima S, Sam H

Senior Girls’ 800m

Senior Girls’ Discus

Senior Girls’ Javelin

Junior Girls’ 55m Hurdles

Florence

Cross Country & Athletics

Cross Country

The 2023/24 cross country season saw St Hugh’s pupils racing in a good range of events across the age groups.

We had a keen group of regular runners attend the running club hobby where they worked hard in training sessions, both at school and off-site.

While this was super preparation for racing, it also allowed the pupils to enjoy the social aspect of group running and completing various distance challenges. Our Years 3-6 runners attended invitational events hosted by Brooke Priory (held at Rutland Water), Ranby House, Highfields, Witham Hall, Copthill and Ayscoughfee Hall. Over the course of the season, we had some outstanding individual and team performances.

Mrs Felton

ESAA Cup

Our Years 7 and 8 pupils competed in the English Schools’ Athletics Association (ESAA) Cup this year which saw them racing in girls’ and boys’ teams, consisting of four runners. As a small school, we included a number of Year 7 pupils whilst the majority of competitors were in Year 8. Our captain, Florence L, won the race and it was great to see our girls’ team (Florence L, Charlotte T, Kitty W, Annabelle J) finishing fourth place, narrowly missing out on qualification.

Superzone District Athletics Cross Country

Our senior pupils travelled to Louth to compete in the Coastal and Wolds Superzone District Cross Country, which was another new addition to the calendar this year. Though we did not have the numbers for full teams, our pupils ran as individuals. The top 16 finishers in each age group at this event qualified for the next stage held at Burghley House, where they represented the Coastal and Wolds District Team. We were delighted to have five out of nine

Runners-Up Harriet T and Charlotte J

runners achieve a place. Congratulations to Kitty W, Annabelle J, Rupert B-W, Charlotte T and Florence L.

Lincolnshire Schools’ Cross Country Championships

This was held at Burghley House in Stamford and saw athletes completing a tough course from 2300m to 3500m. The St Hugh’s pupils were running as individuals and for the Coastal and Wolds Zone. In order to qualify for the next level, runners needed to finish in the top 14 which was a challenging task given the large numbers. Each of our pupils worked tirelessly over the course and it was great to see them holding their own in some tough races.

Well done to all competitors for getting to this level and congratulations must go to Florence L (4th), Charlotte T (14th) and Rupert B-W (14th) who qualified to represent Lincolnshire Schools at the Anglian Schools’ Cross Country. Florence L also qualified for the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships having finished in the top six!

Anglian Schools’ Cross Country

Athletics captain and accomplished runner, Florence L, headed to Burghley House alongside her teammates, Charlotte T and Rupert B-W. Following the county race earlier in the term, these three runners qualified to run for Lincolnshire racing against athletes from Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. It was great to see them all competing in Lincolnshire vests!

Ayscoughfee Hall Cross Country

U9 Girls 2nd Place

U9 Boys 1st Place

U11 Girls 2nd Place

U11 Boys 3rd Place

Individual Winners Harriet T and Beau B-W

Individual Runner-Up

Charlotte J

Athletics

The athletics season was unfortunately affected by some poor weather this year which impacted on some planned competitions.

It was great however, to see so many pupils opting for the athletics hobby in the Summer Term – all keen to discover their strengths and develop their performance across a range of events. We used the ESAA School Awards to

help pupils aim high and improve their personal bests, with some Years 6-8 aspiring to achieve national standards.

East Area Athletics

It was a great day for our Years 4 and 5 athletes who made the long journey to Norwich for the annual East Area Athletics. This is always a popular competition with it being on the tartan track at the University of East Anglia. It was a great experience for our young aspiring athletes!

Twenty pupils were selected to represent the school in a range of events

including long jump, high jump, ball throw, hurdles, sprints and middle distance races. Unfortunately, we had some strong athletes who could not attend due to illness but we were amazed by how the others stepped up to compete in extra events at the last minute! All the children were a real credit to the school.

A number of athletes placed in their heats on the track and it was great to see Penelope L, Genevieve C and Edward J reach track finals! Penelope L came 2nd in 70m hurdles and 200m and just missed out on the 100m final. Genevieve C stepped up to compete in the hurdles alongside Penelope L and also made the final! Edward J also had a successful afternoon, achieving second place in the 70m hurdles final and long jump and narrowly missed out on the 100m final.

Superzone District Athletics

In the Coastal and Wolds Superzone Athletics Championships we competed against 16 local schools and wow, what a day we had! Despite it being the penultimate day of the academic year, the pupils once again rose to the occasion.

• Seven records broken by St Hugh’s athletes (Florence L, Charlotte T, Annabelle J, Charlie T)

• Year 7 Girls – Winners

• Year 8 Girls – Winners

• Year 7 Boys – Runners-up

National Prep Schools’ Finals

Sam H, Amelia F, Jemima S, Charles B, Florence L and Charlotte T reached the National Prep Schools' Athletics Final and competed well. Florence L took a hop, skip and a jump to become National Prep School Champion for U14 Girls' triple jump and long jump.

County Track and Field Championships

It was great to see two of our Year 8 girls competing in the County Track and Field Championships. Though this took place during their exam week, we were able to adapt the timetable to ensure they could compete at this event. Both girls displayed great commitment to athletics this season, performing in a number of events held out of school.

Florence L – 1st Long Jump, 2nd 800m Charlotte T – 1st Discus, 4th Shot

Anglian Schools’ Athletics Championships

In the Anglian Schools’ Athletics Championships, Florence L won the long jump, achieving an impressive 4.81m

Sports Day

(1cm off her personal best). Charlotte T also competed in the same tricky wet conditions and finished fifth overall. To compete in this standard of competition is a great achievement.

Mrs Felton

Record Breakers

Senior Girls’ 800m

Florence L

Senior Girls’ Discus Charlotte T

Senior Girls’ Javelin

Sophie T

Junior Girls’ 55m Hurdles Harriet T

Victor Ludorum Aydin T

Victrix Ludorum Florence L

Swimming

Early Years enjoyed welcoming family and friends to their Swimming Display.

Years 1 & 2 made a splash at their Swimming Gala.

It was a fabulous sight to see every child from Years 3-6 competing in our Annual Set Gala. Congratulations went to:

Individual Medley Winners

U13 Girls – Annabelle J (new record)

U13 Boys – Charlie T

U11 Girls – Charlotte J (new record)

U11 Boys – Henry E

U9 Girls – Harriet T

U9 Boys – George C

School Record Breakers

Set Results

1st – White Set

2nd – Blue Set

3rd – Red Set

Annabelle J – U13 Girls’ 4x1 Individual Medley

Charlotte J – U11 Girls’ 4x1 Individual Medley

Harriet T – U9 Girls’ Backstroke

Invitational Swimming Galas

Burton Hathow, Highfields and St George’s

At the end of the Autumn Term, we welcomed Highfields, St George’s and Burton Hathow to St Hugh’s to take part in a friendly invitational gala. This was a great way for our swim squad to apply what they had been working on in training.

The atmosphere on poolside was buzzing, with over 50 competitors and an impressive number of spectators! The gala saw children racing in their respective age groups across individual events and relays. Given that we were the hosts, we managed to squeeze in an additional ‘St Hugh’s only’ race in each event to include as many of our swimmers as possible. St Hugh’s performed very well across the board, demonstrating great breadth. There were some outstanding performances, including our captain, Charlotte J, who was a great role model for our younger and less experienced swimmers. Though no results were kept, St Hugh’s were clearly strong and it was great to see the children putting what they have learned into practice. It was also encouraging to see so many Year 5s and a number of Year 3s racing a year young.

Ranby House

Our U8 and U9 swimmers enjoyed a competitive gala against Ranby House. With just two schools, they had two lanes each so lots of pupils got the chance to swim! We also had an extra race with just St Hugh’s swimmers to give some of our less experienced and younger swimmers the chance to race in their first gala. St Hugh’s came out on top with some superb individual performances, particularly from George C and Harriet T. St Hugh’s performed very well in the team relays but Ranby House did push us hard! A great experience for all involved.

Mrs Felton

IAPS National Swimming Championships

A group of five keen swimmers travelled to Coventry to compete in one of the IAPS swimming regional qualifiers.

This event ranks them nationally across prep schools in their selected event. The top 20 fastest swimmers in the country go on to compete at the IAPS Finals.

Charlotte T (Year 8), Annabelle J (Year 7), Alicia T (Year 7), Charlie T (Year 7) and Charlotte J (Year 6) made the long journey to King Edward VI School, Coventry. The St Hugh’s swimmers looked strong and it was great to see them holding their own in races.

Congratulations to Annabelle J and Charlotte T who went on to compete at the National Finals in London – Annabelle J in the U12 50m butterfly and Charlotte T in the U13 50m backstroke. This is always a special event given that it takes place in the London Aquatics Pool used for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Both girls had competed in this pool before but, nevertheless, it was one to look forward to!

They both put out creditable performances on the day in their respective heats with Charlotte T just missing out on the finals and placing 12th nationally! Annabelle J swam a personal best in a fast heat to finish fourth, which placed her seventh

going into the final from 20 competitors. As you would expect, the final was tough but it was great to see her holding her own and finishing seventh nationally.

Mrs Felton

ESSA National Primary Relays

Five U11 St Hugh’s swimmers travelled to Sheffield to compete at the English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) Primary Relay Finals held at Ponds Forge.

This prestigious event sees swimmers competing from across the UK. Our attendance at this was following qualification at our regional qualifier hosted by Repton. The top two schools in each category within each region automatically qualify for the finals and it was great to see St Hugh’s achieve this for both events – 4x25m freestyle and 4x25m medley relay. St Hugh’s falls into the small schools category which stipulates there must be fewer than 60 pupils in Years 5 and 6 combined – this year we had 32!

The team was captained by Charlotte J who did a superb job of supporting her teammates throughout the day. Year 6

swimmers Tabitha H-S and George C competed in both events alongside Charlotte J while Joshua F and Henry E had a race each (a great achievement to be swimming a year young).

The team performed exceptionally well at this national event, rising to the challenge and representing St Hugh’s incredibly well. We were delighted to finish 11th nationally in the 4x25 medley event having achieved a place in the ‘B’ finals. Our heat time in fact was faster than two schools who competed in the ‘A’ finals. Our second event, 4x25m freestyle relay, would have placed us 13th nationally but unfortunately we had a disqualification. While the team were disappointed with this, they all acknowledged that these things happen at the very highest level in sport. It was great to see how they faced this setback with maturity and optimism – a great life lesson!

Mrs Felton

Swimming Achievements

Swimming Captain Charlotte J

Swimming Badge*

School Records Broken:

Harriet T – U9 Backstroke

Charlotte J, Tabitha H-S, George C, Joshua F, Henry E

Charlotte J – U11 Individual Medley

Annabelle J – U13 Individual Medley

Charlotte J – U11 Girls 4x1 Individual Medley

Harriet T – U9 Girls’ Backstroke

*for competing at national level competition

Tennis

Tennis continues to grow at St Hugh’s and developing our link with Tattershall Tennis Club has certainly been a great success with a large number of pupils participating in our tennis hobbies as well as attending in their own leisure time.

It has been great to see a number of St Hugh’s pupils representing Lincolnshire Tennis in their respective age groups too. Some of our youngest pupils have even got the bug with a few Pre Prep pupils taking to the courts and playing

in matches! We were very pleased to receive the LTA Award for our tennis provision this year.

Some of our more experienced players had the opportunity to attend coaching days at both St Peter’s, York and Repton. Both of these events were extremely beneficial to our aspiring players, facing tough competition in match play during the afternoon.

Intra-School Tennis Championship Winners

Senior – Fergus V

Intermediate – Josh N

Junior – Harriet T

Mrs Felton

Golf

Annual St Hugh’s Golf Cup Challenge

Congratulations to our winners:

1st Place – Megan B

2nd Place – Ellis R-R

3rd Place – Sebastian F and Sam H

Lincolnshire Schools’ Golf Championship

Megan B and Ellis R-R took part in the Lincolnshire Schools' Golf Competition at South Kyme Golf Club.

It used the Stableford scoring system where points are scored for each hole, with the player scoring the highest number of points winning the tournament. In tricky, windy conditions both of the St Hugh's golfers performed admirably – Ellis R-R (Year 6) finished 18th out of a field of 30 predominantly secondary age competitors, and Megan B came first out of nine. Well done to both pupils for representing the school so well.

Mrs Felton

Senior Sports Tour

Netherlands 2023

In October, pupils in Years 7 and 8 headed on their Senior Sports Tour to the Netherlands.

Upon their return to school, they were very excited to share their experience in assembly and enjoyed showing everyone a video with highlights of the trip. The following is their assembly presentation:

Group 1

Jemima S: On the 16th of October Years 7 and 8s went to Holland for a hockey and rugby tour. We travelled from Hull and took the overnight ferry to Rotterdam.

Annabelle J: We had been preparing for the tour since the last half term. One of the things that we made as a group was a code of conduct which we all had to sign to acknowledge that we would show respect and follow rules whilst on the tour. We prepared for the matches which we practised for in our Games time. Thanks to all the staff for helping with this.

Sophie T: The day before we set off to Hull, we received our kit in a presentation assembly, shortly after Mr Short and Mrs Felton had explained the itinerary. We then headed home to pack our bags ready to set off the next day.

Florence L: Amsterdam is a very popular tourist destination where there are lots of different things to do including museums, stadiums, theme parks, water parks and lots of sports pitches.

Amelia F: Thank you to all the parents and sponsors (AE Lenton Group, emec and GBM Waste Management) for supporting this trip, and a special thank you to Mr Short, Mrs Felton, Mr Goodhand and Miss Blee-Storey for accompanying and supporting us on this amazing tour.

Group 2

William L: We left school and travelled to Hull to board the ferry. We had dinner served onboard the ferry. After dinner and exploring the ferry (including the disco) we went to bed in our cosy dorms. It was very rocky!

William S: After a good night’s sleep we had a big breakfast on the ferry and travelled to our accommodation.

Wilf H-S: We went to the Van Gogh Museum.

Euan P: We explored the beautiful streets of Amsterdam – the bikes, canals, bridges…

Aydin T: We came to the Bulldogs' Rugby Club ground and they had amazing facilities which were very nice. We played really strong but we could not play as well as they were playing. All the coaches, players and staff were very welcoming. We had some nice warm match tea and then we headed back to the accommodation.

Charles B: We returned to the hostel and had Domino's Pizza and Fanta for dinner after a very long day! Daily awards – Player of the Match (Aydin & Sophie).

Fergus V: Code of Conduct Champions – Florence & Will C. Disaster of the Day – Florence and Aydin. We then headed to bed to feel refreshed for the next morning.

Group 3

Alicia T: We started our day nice and early, hopped on the bus and travelled to the Ajax Stadium which was fun (the boys liked it a little bit more than the girls).

Ela H: After the Ajax tour we headed straight to drop off the boys at their second rugby match then we had a picnic lunch whilst supporting them.

Aydin T: Again, the facilities at the club were great. The team had some big lads but we learnt from our previous match that size doesn't matter and we went on to win the game with a strong lead. At the end of the match we went and had social time with each other. All of the teams we played were really nice and friendly and we went off back to the coach so we could watch the girls play their hockey match.

Poppy H: We then went to the girls’ final hockey match and the boys came and cheered us on, ‘which was very annoying’ –quoted by Kitty!

Gemma B: The boys won 42-7 and the girls lost sadly, 3-1. We all had a great game and enjoyed hot chocolate at the end of the girls’ match.

Kitty W: After our match, we all went bowling and had a nice dinner (and sang happy birthday to an elderly lady who we met). After dinner we went back to our hostel and we did our daily awards which included Jemima and Will for Player of the Game.

Charlotte T: Charlotte and Sophie for Disaster of the Day.

Scarlet G: Alicia and Rupert for Code of Conduct Champions. We all had an amazing day and were ready for bed.

Amelie C: We were all ready for the theme park and the Tiki Pool the next day.

Group 4

On day four, we travelled to the Duinrell Theme Park and the Tiki Pool and then on to the Hague. At the theme park, we spent three hours on the rides and looking around, then two hours in the Tiki Pool on slides and flumes. After we had some fun there, we went to somewhere on the coast called the Hague. We explored the coastline and enjoyed some refreshments. We then headed to Rotterdam ferry port to head home.

On day five we travelled home, having dinner on the ferry before heading to bed. In the morning we had breakfast and then had the short coach ride from Hull back to school.

It was a fabulous sports tour which was enjoyed by all – with thanks once again to our sponsors: AE Lenton Group (AEL), emec and GBM Waste Management

Year 8 Leavers

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Year 3 in 2019. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is in ICT – we decided to do a crowning ceremony in the middle of the lesson and Mr Pickering got really involved and was loving it! The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is seeing everything I know and everyone saying good morning to me. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is singing on my own in the Christmas service, as I was really scared before.”

H

Leavers 2024

Following their Common Entrance examinations, our Year 8 pupils enjoyed their last few weeks at St Hugh’s with a range of trips and experiences.

Now an annual tradition, the end of exams was marked with a well-deserved meal at Zucci, followed by ice creams at the park and a Boarding House sleepover.

The next week, pupils set off for the Outward Bound week at Lake Ullswater. This residential is one that the children remember long after they have left St Hugh’s…and not just because of the ticks! The experience sees the pupils all cliffjumping out of their comfort zones, but displaying incredible perseverance and team spirit; it is always humbling to see the progress so many of them make over the week.

The final day brought great news for our CE candidates –all pupils had got into their choice of senior school!

“I joined St Hugh’s in Year 1. My favourite memory is when we used to go to the boot room at break – when we were in there we would climb behind the shoe racks. This went wrong when one of us managed to get stuck and we had to call for help! I'm really looking forward to the Theatre and Drama Department at Lincoln Minster but I will really miss seeing my closest friends everyday.”

Amelie C

“I have been at St Hugh’s since the start of Year 7. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is the Netherlands trip. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is the adventures!”

Joseph L

Lucia

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Reception in 2015. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is the school plays. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is the close family we all are. Since the school is small, we are all so close and most of us have known each other since a young age and some of us (including me) have never been to another school, so it feels like home. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is when I got one of the main leads in the Senior Play in Year 7 and I faced one of my fears which was singing a solo in front of everyone. For my next school I am looking forward to the new and busy environment with lots more people than St Hugh’s; it will certainly be a change. I will forever cherish my time at St Hugh’s and remember the amazing people in it.”

Grace L

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Nursery in 2013. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is when our year group was in Pre Prep and we went to the beach. We went in the sea and got wet through, then all complained endlessly on the way back to school. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is everybody, including the teachers, being so friendly and kind. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is becoming Blue Set Captain which gave me great opportunities around the school.”

Scarlett G

“I have been at St Hugh’s since I was two years old, with my brother and two sisters being here so I have always had a family member throughout my St Hugh’s experience. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is going on trips or going on bus journeys with my year. The thing I will miss most is the friendly community and the connections I have created with many students. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is becoming Head Boarder. I have enjoyed my time in this position and supporting other boarders as well as friendly conversations and happy memories. My favourite thing at St Hugh’s was taking part in sports and activities because I always enjoyed them from an early age with my year group. I am excited to build many more friendships when I progress on to my next school – Rugby. ”

Amelia F

“I joined St Hugh’s in Nursery when I was two years old. One of my favourite memories is when we were in Year 1 and Mrs Wallis was teaching us about Egyptians and we all got to dress up in fancy clothes and do our make-up. We spent the whole day doing fun tasks like an Egyptian scavenger hunt to find Egyptian symbols. I also loved our trip to Ullswater and trying new things. When I go to Uppingham, I’m most excited for all the new opportunities and meeting new friends that I can make new memories with, while continuing to play netball. I will really miss all the fun I’ve had with my closest friends.”

Sophie T

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Year 1. The thing I will really miss about St Hugh’s is being able to see my close friends every day, but I am really excited to go to Uppingham. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is getting School Vice Captain.”

Poppy H

With a few workshops organised in school, such as sugarcrafts and photography, Year 8 pupils got to try out some new skills; a day of First Aid training was also a valuable addition to our leavers’ programme.

Many enjoyed visits to the Lincolnshire Show and Trent Bridge. A highlight for many, we had wonderful weather for a trip to the Lincoln Aqua Park, though I’m not sure my nerves recovered so easily from watching Jenson G and Aydin T back-flipping off the top of the pyramid! Mr Short took the Year 8s out to Skegness and Fantasy Island to mark their last week as St Hugh’s pupils, where a great time was had by all, and the Leavers’ BBQ was a fitting send-off for the pupils and their families.

“I have been at St Hugh’s since September 2012. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is going to Ullswater after our exams. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is my friends and teachers. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is achieving School Captain along with Hockey and Rugby Captain.”

Aydin T

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Year 2. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is the people in my class. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is passing CE. My favourite subject here has been cooking. When I go to Oundle, I’m excited for the DT lessons and building cars!”

William S

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Year 3. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is going to Lincoln Aqua Park with all my class. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is my friends.”

Ted J

“I have been at St Hugh’s my whole school life so far! My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is being able to go biking towards the end of the school year. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is all of my friends and the biscuits at break. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is becoming Head Boarder and Cricket Captain.”

Jenson G

“I have been at St Hugh’s since half way through Year 6. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is when we all went to Ullswater towards the end of the year. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is all of my friends that will not be with me next year. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is being able to play complex viola solos with only a bit of practice – all thanks to the amazing musical staff.”

Peyton N

“I started at St Hugh’s in Nursery. My lasting memory will be the lots of friends I made and the fun we had together. I will miss how close the lessons at St Hugh’s are to each other as there will be lots of walking at my new school – Uppingham! I am looking forward to new opportunities and the variety of lessons and sports on offer.”

Wilf H-S

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Reception. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is the Leavers’ Trip to Fantasy Island. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is my class. My proudest achievement is passing CE and my favourite subject has been Science because I find it really interesting and fun. What I find good about St Hugh’s is the small and friendly community and how everyone is really nice. The thing I am most excited about for my next school is meeting new people.”

Raul P

Looking back over their final year at St Hugh’s, I hope the Year 8 pupils will remain proud of their achievements and think back fondly to the time spent with their friends for many years to come. They have been a fantastic year group, and we all wish them well for the future; stay in touch!

Mrs Bonner-MacKenzie, Head of Upper School and Head of English

“I have been at St Hugh’s since Reception in 2015. My favourite memory from my time at St Hugh’s is Sports Day. The thing I will miss most about St Hugh’s is the small family-like community. My proudest achievement at St Hugh’s is becoming School Captain and breaking multiple records on Sports Day. My favourite thing to do at St Hugh’s is definitely the sporting events (even if it is cricket)! I really enjoyed all the musical opportunities in individual lessons and to play in concerts with the orchestra. When I go to my next school, I look forward to boarding as St Hugh's has made me thoroughly enjoy all the times I have boarded.”

Florence L

Destination School Scholarships Gained

Amelie Charles Lincoln Minster

Amelia Fairburn Rugby

Scarlett Gilbert Lincoln Minster

Jenson Grantham Uppingham

Lucia Hancock Worksop

Wilf Hostombe-Shooter Uppingham

Poppy Howe Uppingham

Ted Jobe Repton

Joseph Lewis Lincoln Minster

Florence Lilly Worksop Sport and Music

Grace Lilly Worksop

Peyton Neary Branston Academy

Raul Padley Boston Grammar

William Shirley Oundle

Aydin Tekin Oundle All-rounder

Sophie Tinsley Uppingham

Charlotte Turner Lincoln Minster

“I joined St Hugh’s at the beginning of Year 6. My lasting memory is the Year 8 Ullswater trip – especially the gorge scrambling and Mr Short getting Florence and me lost on a run there! I will miss Mr Goodhand’s Maths lessons the most. I am most looking forward to new sporting opportunities at my new school – Lincoln Minster.”

Charlotte T

Co-curricular Clubs Flexi Boarding Extensive Bus routes

STAMFORD SCHOOL

Providing the flexibility to explore, grow and succeed

PRESCHOOL · JUNIOR · SENIOR · SIXTH

Co-educational day and boarding school in the heart of the beautiful Georgian town of Stamford, South Lincolnshire.

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