Prep Life

55 Year 5 pupils and six members of staff headed up to Beam House near Bideford for their threeday residential visit.

The children took part in a wide range of activities, including surfing, abseiling, high-ropes, trapeze, rifle shooting and other team activities. We were so proud of the children, each experiencing their own individual challenges: for some, it was putting on a wetsuit for the first time; for others, it was the heights and, for some, being away from home for the first time.

As part of the work towards their John Muir Award, which aims to nurture a love and appreciation of wild places, Year 5 pupils explored the beautiful bluebell woods that line the school drive. The bluebells were out in force and a wonderful sight for anyone driving to and from school.

The pupils spent time absorbing the sights and sounds around them and jotting down ideas for a piece of writing, which will be inspired by their time in the woods.

With memorable songs like ‘Food Glorious Food’ and ‘Consider Yourself’, and phenomenal energy and acting from all of the cast, it was no wonder that ‘Oliver Jr!’ ended each night with standing ovations.

This was the first time that many of Year 6 had been on a ‘big stage’ in the Burrell Theatre, and their courage as they took to the stage was wonderful to see.

Most of the roles were played by two actors splitting the role between the two nights, and there were some truly stunning performances.

It was a gloriously sunny day as our pupils took to the field for their Sports Day.

Parents and supporters were there to cheer on teams and individuals in events including long jump, hurdles, sprints and relays. Every pupil was encouraged to take part in events designed to be fun as well as challenging. It was wonderful to see our children rise to the occasion and encourage their peers to do their best in each event.

As the day drew to a close, there was a fiercely contested House tug-of-war competition, which provided some brilliant photos, before a final presentation for each year’s victor and victrix ludorum and the House Cup.

House results: 1st = Smith (429 points) 2nd = Vinter (387 points) 3rd = School (371 points) 4th = Wickett (356 points)

Year 3: Henry Mc and Ellie L Year 4: George M and Megan P Year 5: Henry M and Winnie W Year 6: James H and Sanna B

Prep was ablaze with red, white and blue ahead of the Jubilee as our festivities took place. The School looked fantastic decked out with bunting and flags and the children were resplendent in their patriotic colours. At the end of the day, every child received a Jubilee memorial coin to take home to remember the occasion.

Pistols were drawn, Stetsons were donned and the audience was wowed at this year’s brilliant Year 4 play, ‘The Great Western Recitals’.

Featuring two equally impressive sections, ‘Lightning Lucy’ and ‘Peddler Polly’, the children dazzled the audience as their tales of the wild west unfolded.

It was an emotional night for many parents as they came together to see their children on stage, performing so brilliantly, for the first time in a while.

Year 6 took turns to take to the waters at Stithians Lake this term to test out their kayaking skills. Led by an instructor from Stithians Lake Watersports Centre, the sessions taught them valuable safety lessons and ways to improve their kayaking technique.

The children were certainly kept challenged with tasks including standing on their kayaks, jumping out and swimming to ‘safety’ and fun races. It was a gloriously sunny day and everyone agreed that the session was extremely good fun and very rewarding.

Over the course of this year, Year 5 pupils have worked extremely hard to build their Greenpower Goblin car ahead of the racing season. This week they set off to Predannack Airfield to race their car against other schools for the first time. Thirteen Prep pupils took to the wheel, showing such courage on the track and great compassion for their teammates whilst cheering from the sidelines. The events included drag races, slalom races and a lap of the F24 race circuit. Between events, the children could participate in a range of fantastic STEM activities, including a flight simulator. Well done to all that took part, and a massive thank-you to all the staff involved, especially Mrs Sparkes. To finish a fantastic day racing, we were delighted to find out they were awarded the Greenest Bodywork prize, as well as winning the Lap of Champions!

Year 5 took on a huge cycling challenge this term as they completed the Cornish Coast to Coast trail. The ride follows the route of the old tin-mining trails and encompasses all sorts of terrain. Some of the sections are along very quiet, green lanes; others are on wide moorland paths or ancient bridleways.

This cycle ride is an important part of the Explore and Discover sections of the John Muir Award. The Award encourages people of all backgrounds to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places. Essentially, it is an environmental award scheme focused on wild places.

As always, we are extremely impressed with the determination and positivity with which our pupils face challenges like this. It is a pleasure to see their curiosity blossom and their confidence grow.

© Martin Jeffers

Our two boy probationers, Archie and John, were made up as choristers and admitted fully into the choir. They have been in a period of training since last September, learning the routines, getting to know the music and developing their music theory.

During their admission at the Sunday morning service, they were given their white surplices to wear, which signifies their full admittance into the choir. They also signed the register of choristers, which every chorister has signed dating back to the late 1800s. Many congratulations to Archie and John.

Children from Years 3 to 6 took part in our Triathlon Competition. The event encompassed running, cycling and swimming and was held across two sessions.

Thankfully, the sun came out, and the children enjoyed running and cycling the course around the School fields. The track proved to be quite tricky, and it was fantastic to see the determination of our children as they did their very best to complete this challenge.

With thanks to FTS for providing the fabulous medals for everyone who took part.

Pupils have shown great curiosity while learning about the great outdoors. Bushcraft Club has been learning how to make a fire and to create their own roasting sticks using tools. They also got into the spirit of their woodland surrounding by wearing camouflaged clothing and painting their faces.

Whilst having fun and participating in a wide range of activities, our extracurricular clubs allow pupils to broaden their horizons and learn new skills without academic pressures.

Pupils, parents and staff gathered in the Sports Hall marquee for the Prep’s festival musical finale.

The evening was awash with courageous and creative performances, from musical solos to group vocals, with all children showcasing their diverse range of curious talents.

As the evening drew to a close, everyone joined in to sing a truly fantastic and teary musical farewell to the wonderful Miss Patterson.

An excited gaggle of Year 6 children and staff set sail for their residential trip to the Isle of Wight. The trip began with a tour of HMS Victory and a ferry ride to the Isle of Wight from Portsmouth. After a long and busy day, the children were very happy to settle into their camp, Little Canada, and had a feast for supper of chicken, sausages, Bolognese and doughnuts. As they gathered around the campfire, there were tired but happy faces all around.

With a hearty breakfast on board, the children got stuck into some brilliant camp activities before visiting Osborne House. Here, the children were put through their paces as Victorian household staff by a very strict housekeeper, Mrs Smith. They learnt how to make a bed, lay a table, polish silver and improve their table manners. Not many passed the test for having clean enough fingernails, however!

On Wednesday, staff woke to a dawn chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ for Mr Goddard, who then had his face “expertly” painted. The children spent the day on site facing plenty of exciting physical and mental challenges. It was wonderful to see everyone gain confidence and have fun as the day progressed. The children enjoyed a day of activities and a visit to the Needles on Thursday. On Friday, they were fortunate enough to go dragon boating before heading home.

Celebrations, applause and emotions were on the agenda for this year’s Speech Day as we welcomed pupils, family and friends to celebrate the achievements of another fantastic year. During the afternoon we also said fond farewells to our Year 6, to who we wish every success in their ventures up to Senior School, and to our superb Head of Prep, Sarah Patterson.

Addressing Sarah, the Head, Andy Johnson, said, “Your genius in this school has been to generate this love, and an amazing sense of warmth and family. That is precious at any time, but has been perhaps all the more important and valuable over the last two years when so much else in so many people’s lives has been so disrupted. It is a rare and precious achievement. I can see it, I feel it here today, and it will be a powerful legacy that you leave. I have no doubt you will create it to the benefit of so many children in the next chapter of your life too, for which we all wish you the very, very best. We thank you, we wish you well, and we know that you leave this school both greatly enhanced, and in tremendously safe hands.”

Prep enjoyed celebrating the heritage and history of their families and friends as part of the festival of curiosity. The outfits, the props, and the stories were as unique and individual as the children themselves. The anecdotes and stories spilled out from assembly into lessons and the children (and teachers) just couldn’t stop them!

A number of our teachers also joined in with the theme and we had Mrs Mahon in military uniform celebrating her grandfather, Ms Cad was a Welsh miner and Mrs Palmer was sporting a German flag. The stories were incredible and spanned the world of literature, science, politics, film, entertainment, military and much more.

Global Boarders Surf School organised an unforgettable surf experience for our Year 5 children at Gwithian Beach this Summer. Activities were 100% water-based and varied from surfing (on swell boards and body boards) to swimming in the surf.

As you can see from these brilliant photos, the children had a great time in the surf, with hot, sunny weather conditions, a tropical 14 degrees sea temperature and a crowd-free surf to play in. We were very fortunate to have light onshore winds and a steady 2-3 foot surf, which gave us perfect surfing conditions for both beginners and improvers.

Children from Years 2, 3 and 4 were given the chance to take part in exciting workshops with Swamp Circus as a part of our School Festival of Curiosity.

Swamp Circus teaches circus skills to young people and adults as a way to improve the health of young people, getting them moving and teaching them valuable skills in self-belief and teamwork.

It was fantastic to see our children getting stuck in and having a ball while learning new skills. A special thank- you to the team at Swamp Circus, and to the staff and pupils who made the workshops so brilliant. Well done all!