Upton Update Autumn 2023

Welcome from Mrs Thornton

It has most certainly been a vibrant, purposeful and exciting Summer Term here at Upton House School. Such a variety of events, trips and accomplishments from our wonderful Uptonians. The children from Pre-Nursery to Form 6 embrace Upton life and all the opportunities it bestows.

Laughter, fun and of course hard work along the way! It is a privilege to see the children blossoming, achieving and smiling, with confidence in abundance.

We hope you enjoy reading the Summer 2023 Upton Update. It is a bumper edition and showcases some of the many Upton events this term. With over 26 countries tuning in to Mary Poppins and our online family audience growing, we have had great fun broadcasting each event for your convenience. Alongside this, it is an absolute delight to have welcomed so many parents into school this term. I know many of you have been in and out quite a lot!

Retaining the rare NACE award this term as a school and also achieving once more the Eco Green Schools Award has been a super endorsement of the inspiring level of academic challenge here at Upton for every pupil no matter their starting point. The Eco award reminds us of our duty to care for our environment, and our future generations at Upton certainly hold this dear to their heart.

We are very excited about Daisy our newly adopted baby koala. Her full name is Allunga Ave Daisy and she is currently enjoying life

at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie. We will be following Daisy’s progress with great interest next year. Thank you, Mr Simpson, Oxley and Emelie.

Our interest and love of geography and learning about countries and cultures around the world is huge at Upton, especially with such a fabulously multinational community. We love humanities lessons. Learning about the world through our online audience, through following Daisy’s progress and through visits from explorers and guests such as Charlie Walker excites us all. It was inspiring to be reminded by Charlie of the warm welcome and kindness that is so willingly given around the world.

On that note, I wish you all a wonderful summer with safe journeys, adventures and trips. I would absolutely love to receive a postcard from the children during the summer, which we can all enjoy and share in September in so many ways around school.

With very best wishes,

Mrs Rhian Thornton

Links to events streamed on our digital channels have been removed from this version of the Upton Update. Please contact the School Office on OfficeAdmin@uptonhouse.org.uk if you wish to receive a link.

D10 Debating Competition

Upton was delighted to pioneer and host the inaugural District 10 Debating Competition in May. The thrilling contest welcomed over 19 schools with the preliminary heats being held and broadcast live by Broadcasting Club pupils from the Wallace Hall and the drama studio simultaneously for the benefit of participating schools watching remotely. It was an exhilarating event, with each team of three speakers debating one of two motions, either: ‘This House would shut down all zoos’ or ‘This House believes we should all be vegetarians’. Both hot topics provoked fierce debate and the atmosphere was charged as speakers engaged in intellectual combat! At the end of the day, four teams were selected to move from the intense preliminary heats through to the finals on Monday 5th June, and we were delighted that our very own Upton Form 5 team was chosen.

During the finals, each team took part in two debates: one prepared in advance and one for which they had just 20 minutes to prepare. All teams demonstrated exceptional teamwork and camaraderie, offering well-researched, logical, and persuasive arguments. The atmosphere intensified as the finalists prepared to battle it out for the coveted title.

The judges faced an arduous task in determining the winners, as the calibre of debating skills on display was truly exceptional. Kitebrook Prep School emerged victorious and we congratulate them on their success, while Upton’s very own MJ was announced as the Speaker of the Tournament, which is a superb achievement. We eagerly await the return of this resoundingly successful event in the Autumn Term and look forward to the continuing growth of a debating culture at Upton.

Claire Williams Visit 2023

Form 6 Offers

Claire Williams OBE hosted a Q&A session with Form 6 girls at the beginning of the term as part of their Maths in Motion project. The girls were captivated by her inspiring talk and asked some fantastic questions about the opportunities for women in Formula

One, how the sport is becoming more eco-friendly and what they would need to do to become an engineer for a Formula One team. The talk was a fantastic way to round off their project and provided them with some real-life insight into the world of Formula One.

2023 Form 6 Final Destinations

14 Scholarships Awarded

College

High

Forms 5 and 6 Musical Soirée

The Musical Soirée for Forms 5 and 6 took place in the Wallace Hall in midMay amidst a backdrop of creative set construction as we prepared for our end-ofterm musical production. We welcomed a large audience in the Hall and even more who joined remotely online, in total 388 viewers from eleven countries. Everyone was treated to a very eclectic

evening of music that included performances on the violin, guitar, piano, cello, trombone, saxophone and flute, as well as a host of singers. The composers ranged from Katy Perry and Ruth B to Klengel and Czardas, with coconut calypsos and show tunes interspersed along the way. We even had an impromptu original composition entitled ‘A Fit Of The Giggles’ to break the ice and soften the mood! The musical cocktail worked beautifully, and it was so lovely to see how our older pupils have grown in

confidence so noticeably throughout their time with us and once again, rose to the occasion. The children performed with passion and pride, and it was clear to see how they are blossoming into experienced performers. Well done to all who participated!

Upton’s House Swimming Gala was held in early May. The children competed in medley relay races, freestyle relay races, individual front crawl and backstroke races, culminating in the Upton Cannon race resulting in double points for the winner. As the results on the day were so close, it was decided that in the event of scores being level, the winner of the Cannon race would determine the overall winners of the gala. St George House won the Cannon race and therefore finished level on points with St Andrew but took the win by virtue of their relay result. Such a close-fought event really shows the quality of all the swimmers at Upton House and is a testament to their hard work in the pool over the academic year. Thank you to St George’s Ascot for the use of their swimming pool, such a great venue to hold our Swimming Gala, as well as Eton College for the early morning swim squad pool sessions. They really are paying off!

IAPS National Swimming Finals

#No Pool, Still No Problem

Prep House Swimming Gala

What another successful term of swimming! For the second year running, Upton qualified for the IAPS National Swimming Finals which were held at the London Aquatics Centre on Saturday 3rd June. The competition was fierce, but we came away as the 10th placed school nationally out of 141 in the Form 6 medley! Furthermore, one of our awesome foursome girls finished 6th overall nationally in the individual butterfly discipline out of 102 school entries – such a tremendous result, particularly for a school without a pool on site!

On Friday 16th June, 10 girls from Forms 5 and 6 travelled to Aberdour School to participate in an U11 IAPS hardball cricket tournament. This was the girls’ first competitive experience in the hardball set up and they rose to the challenge magnificently. They won their first game against Wimbledon High, with some fantastic batting and fielding. During their second game, they had an unfortunate string of dismissals leading to a narrow defeat but managed to qualify for the play-offs. The remaining three games were all won or lost by a 10-run swing. The girls should be so proud of their efforts and attitude during the day, representing the school in true Upton fashion and looking amazing in their cricket whites.

IAPS Cricket

Form 2 kicked off the term with House Football followed by Forms

House Sport

3 and 4 House Netball a week later. St George, St Christopher and St Andrew battled it out for supremacy and are eagerly awaiting the results of all of the competitions to see who will be crowned the best sporting House. Form 1 contributed in their first taste of House sports events and performed magnificently. To finish off a superb year of sport, Forms 5 and 6 had two House events back-to-back with cricket and netball.

The IAPS Judo Championships took place on Sunday 30th April. For the majority of the children this was their first-ever judo competition. The day started off with a group warm-up for all the children who were competing. There were many nervous faces as they did not know what to expect, but this quickly changed as the Upton children got off to a flying start which set them up for the whole day with fantastic judo on display and superb support of each other. With coaches Reuel, Vlod and Aaron in support, Upton finished with three gold medals, three silvers and eleven bronze medals which is a tremendous achievement on our first outing at the IAPS Judo Championships.

IAPS Judo

Form 2 Parent and Pupil Football

The much-anticipated Form 2 Parent and Pupil football event resumed in May. Held at the prestigious York Club in Windsor Great Park, our venue for sporting fixtures, and now a regular on the sporting calendar, it is a brilliant opportunity for children and parents to mix in a sporting and social environment. The children were split into six coloured teams and the parents were all asked to wear the respective colours of their child’s team. The children played their football matches first and then the parents took centre stage. With a brilliant mix of parents, some with more football expertise and experiences than others, it was a great opportunity for the children to watch their parents playing sport and giving them encouragement from the sidelines. Superb games, great laughs and good sportsmanship were on display all round before the event finished with a superb match tea.

Form 6 v Staff Netball Match

On Monday 3rd July, all Form 6 girls played a much-anticipated netball match against the staff team. It was a fun and competitive match in which every player put up their best performance in a variety of positions. The win was taken by the teachers with a score of 19-9. Well done to the girls for their effort and enthusiasm throughout!

Pre-Nursery and Nursery Sports Day

Pre-Nursery had been training very hard and they did not disappoint, showing off their best running, jumping and obstacle climbing skills! The Form 6 children were amazing, helping to support and guide the little ones through the different obstacles and activities. The Pre-Nursery children were very proud to be cheered on by their parents and families, whether present in school or online, with 226 viewers watching from 12 countries. They delighted in showing everyone all the new skills they have learnt as well as showing great determination and teamwork.

Nursery welcomed their families by waving their Union Jack flags before participating in the colourful obstacle course, building a castle and walking carefully showing great balancing skills to fill their team jugs of water. They were very good doctors attending to their patients in Form 6 and super brave when they had to feed the scary dinosaurs by throwing the balls. The morning culminated with the classic hurdles and team races. All children demonstrated great spirit which was evident for all to see, including the 254 family members who tuned in from 15 countries including Costa Rica and Cuba.

Nursery Pedal Push

The annual Nursery Pedal Push was a huge success. The children were so excited and did an absolutely incredible job zipping around the netball court along with their friends. They showed great focus, agility and resilience and we could not be more proud of them. We welcomed parents into school to cheer on the children and, just as importantly, the wider Upton family comprising 308 viewers in seven countries who joined online.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped raise a grand total of £3,945 (including Gift Aid) for the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Charity. It is an incredible amount of money for such a worthy cause and will be gratefully received for the wonderful work they do.

Pre-Nursery Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Some of our favourite books in PreNursery have a ‘bear’ theme - as we know that most of the children like to snuggle up with a bear, bunny or a soft toy to help them sleep. We extended this theme by hosting a ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’, where the children were very excited to come in with their teddies. Before we started the party, each of the children took their turn choosing honey or jam for the sandwich they made themselves, then sat outside with friends and teddies during snack time, eating their sandwiches whilst the teachers read stories such as ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, ‘Whatever Next’ and ‘We are Going on a Bear Hunt’. What a memorable end of term for those who are leaving to move up to Nursery, and those who will stay in Pre-Nursery for a little longer, helping the new starters navigate their first steps in Little Upton.

Nursery Excursion to Beale Park

This term Nursery had a wonderful trip to Beale Park as an enriching experience to support their understanding of the world. We were lucky to have ideal weather conditions for exploring the park and our exciting train ride gave us a nice introduction to the animals we could see. The children learnt that they needed to be patient and observe closely if they wanted to spot particular animals as some preferred to shelter from the sun in their habitats. We saw an armadillo, wallabies, meerkats, zebras, lots of colourful birds and some animals that we had to read up about. Is it an ostrich or an emu?

Neither, it’s the greater rhea of course! The children also enjoyed a picnic lunch and had a great time playing in the adventure park. It was a fantastic day!

The Nursery Sing Song was a truly wonderful event to finish off the academic year. Parents in the hall and 328 family members joining online from as far afield as India and Algeria enjoyed a lovely morning listening to the children singing so beautifully. To say we are very proud of the Nursery children is an understatement. They continue to amaze us in every way, singing their hearts out with songs in Mandarin, French, Spanish and Greek. Such a joy for the children to have their parents join in with our ‘I like the flowers’ and ‘The Penguin Song’ - you all make wonderful penguins!

The Transition Sing Song is always highly anticipated, and quite rightly so! The children put their hearts and souls into learning six quite complicated songs from well-known films and they delivered them perfectly to a large audience. Classics such as ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite’, ‘Doe a Deer’ and ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King’ were sung with gusto and big smiles. The children were the ultimate professionals as they took their places on stage and their enjoyment was clearly evident as their big day finally arrived to perform with full hearts and huge smiles all round. Such superstars! 316 viewers in 16 countries including Taiwan, Ukraine and New Zealand joined parents in the hall for this happy occasion.

Nursery and Transition Sing Songs Pirates in Nursery

When imagination and play go side by side with learning and development, we have happy children. This summer we have had a chance to experience how it felt to be a pirate! The children approached this topic highly motivated, showing great knowledge about pirates’ way of life. They were engaged in planning their activities, naming all objects needed to construct a big ship with pirate symbols, like a flag, canons and a plank. When our ship got wrecked, we rowed our boats and rescued our mates, demonstrating that even though we are brave and fearless, we care for each other. The children worked enthusiastically on the maps to find hidden treasure, and once dug up, they counted all coins inside a treasure chest, happily declaring themselves rich. With a hat on our heads, sword in our hands, an occasional patch over one eye, we were ready for any kind of adventure, even walking a plank or swimming with sharks! That is truly the Upton spirit!

Transition’s Amazing Animals

Transition have had lots of fun exploring their animal-themed topics, including ‘The Rainforest’, ‘Minibeasts’ and ‘The Sea’. The summer term began with the children becoming jungle explorers as they searched through the layers of the rainforest discovering many amazing animals before sharing their fascinating facts. Learning outdoors in the glorious sunshine was certainly a big hit, as the children became engrossed in minibeast hunts before researching Eric Carle's work and realising how many of their much-loved stories he had written, inspiring them to produce their own minibeasts! Under the sea brought much excitement with Transition finally transforming into deep sea drivers, making squid windsocks and tasty starfish sandwiches!

Transition’s Excursion to Hobbledown Farm

Hooray for Hobbledown! 36 incredibly happy Transition children had the time of their lives at Hobbledown Farm in Epsom. A brilliant day was spent climbing, laughing, bouncing away on the inflatable pillows, and observing many incredible species. The various adventure playgrounds were a huge hit, along with Hobbledown’s new Imaginarium where the children immersed themselves in the reptile house, water play, insectarium and play interactive jungle! There was much excitement as the children spotted some of the reptiles they had encountered in their previous rainforest topic, including poisonous dart frogs, pine snakes, rainbow stag beetles, and more. A super final trip in Transition before their journey to Form 1 begins!

Transition, Pre-Prep and Prep Sports Days

Tuesday 4th July and Wednesday 5th July saw Upton House School travel en masse to the wonderful York Club in Windsor Great Park for two Sports Days. Following all of the practice during PE lessons throughout the Summer Term, it was the children’s chance to shine in the beautiful setting of the Crown Estate.

Transition and Pre-Prep kicked things off on the Tuesday with a fantastic day. All years competed in relay, sprint and hurdle races and there were some incredibly speedy children! Transition completed a standing jump and beanbag throw as part of their field events, while Pre-Prep switched things up with a ball throw, foam discus and standing jump. Excellent, close-fought races were had by all and there were some great demonstrations of throwing over huge distances! The children excelled at putting into practice all of the techniques that they had learnt during their PE lessons and they all tried their hardest in front of their parents, who were either present at the York Club or part of the wider Upton family comprising 518 viewers who tuned in from 17 countries including the USA and Cyprus.

It was the turn of Prep children the following day. Thanks to Upton’s broadcasting skills, parents and family members who were unable to catch the action in person at the York Club could watch online with 416 viewing from 19 countries including Slovakia and the UAE. The carousel of events, both track and field, began with Form 3 sprint races as well as a mix of field events for Forms 5 and 6.

Progression from the previous day’s Sports Day saw the Prep children compete in conventional events such as shotput, discus and javelin in addition to all of the track events including relay, hurdles and sprints. The day was a huge success and was rounded off with a long-distance race with everyone completing the one or two-lap course of the York Club. Great fun was had with high levels of competition throughout, and despite two rain delays, all of the children got to compete in all of the events as planned. Congratulations to St George who won the Prep event with St Andrew second and St Christopher third.

Mary Poppins

We were excited to announce the summer production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins JR to your children. Having the opportunity for the children to perform in one of their favourite films was clear to see in the excited response to the announcement. Our traditional Form 6 led event raised the rooftops as the oldest Uptonians were very ably supported on stage and screen by the rest of the school in different scenes.

Building on the full green screen production of Annie in 2021, and the hybrid Seussical the Musical event of last year, we wanted to move to a full digital performance this year,

not just a school play. Our vision was to incorporate lots of interesting digital backdrops to enhance the production, moving backdrops and digital cameos from the younger years delivered to a live audience in the hall, in the marquee and online. We also wanted the Broadcasting Club to be actively involved in the production.

You could hear the passion in the Form 6 performances. What was your favourite Form 6 scene? Supercal? Prologue? Every Form performed spectacularly, from the high energy rooftops with Form 5, the heart-warming Form 4 Feed the Birds, the happy Form 3 Spoonful of Sugar to the uplifting Form 2 Jolly Holiday.

Mary Poppins provided so many opportunities to create magic with the Broadcasting Club. From the long list of incredible scenes, we selected the perfect nanny flying chimney advert, the legendary bannister scene and, of course, the Mary Poppins flying scenes. Most of the lead roles were not acted by the Broadcasting Club, which presented some interesting real-world examples of what happens in the film industry where the “stunt” and production team design, prototype and test before the actors are involved. Once the scene fully worked, the Broadcasting Club communicated to the actors how the scene should

be put together and their acting considerations and then recorded the actors on a green screen. The Broadcasters used DaVinci Resolve to apply the effects, film industry studio software.

The children had so much fun brainstorming the nanny job advert going up the chimney. In this scene, George is presented with the perfect nanny advert, which he tears up and throws in the fireplace, only for Mary Poppins to receive it magically and put it back together. To make paper fly, the children came up with many ideas, including mum/dads leaf blower, fans, etc., but they quickly decided making paper

fly upwards in a controlled approach using this method would be too difficult, though they would have had a lot of fun! After some brainstorming, they decided to drop the paper in front of a green screen and then reverse it using DaVinci Resolve. Interestingly, the children discovered that paper does not float very well. So this led us to a scientific exercise of selecting the ideal paper type, size, shape, flat or scrunched, to provide the most graceful paper drop.

The pupils were so excited about the outcome that Isabel presented this to the daunting NACE inspector, which was noted in the NACE feedback, a clear win for the school!

Little Upton, Transition and Form 1 had great fun filming their cameos in front of the green screen. They showed lots of potential as they acted out by having a tea party, flying a kite, and playing games in the park. The bows were great fun too. This year 1,700 people in 29 countries enjoyed the event, extended family members who ordinarily would have missed out on the wonderful performances from the children.

Form 1 Trip to Marwell Zoo

Form 1 visited Marwell Zoo as part of their science topic ‘Animal Classification’. Before our trip, they had learnt all about the six different animal groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, invertebrates, and birds. They took part in many different activities to support their learning. These included a visit from our school gecko Dottie, using pooters to hunt for minibeasts and using iPads to research facts about mammals.

On the day of our trip, the children were extremely excited to put their learning into action and to see all the wonderful animals they had learnt about.

Form 2 RE and Art

Once there, the children saw zebras, giraffes, a hippopotamus, deer, a tiger, ostriches, flamingos, snow leopards and many more! The children were in awe of all the different animals and were fully engrossed as we made our way around the wonderful zoo.

The children also took part in an educational workshop, where they explored the features of different animal skulls to help identify which animal group they belonged to.

All in all, it was an absolutely “Marwellous” day!

This term Form 2 have been learning about Islam in RE. They learnt that the symbol of Islam means peace and created their own peace symbols. They were also taught about the Islamic holy book, The Qur’an, and designed their own front cover for it. Through various discussions and prompted by previous topics covered, the children were able to make links between Islam and other religions. In art, the children carried out research on Islamic art. They sculptured their own pots and decorated them using inspiration from Islamic designs, including patterns based on plants, flowers found in the natural world and geometric patterns.

Geography in Form 1

Form 1 have had an amazing time exploring their local area this term. They started off by learning all about the similarities and differences between the town and the country. They quickly realised that we have more similarities and differences than we thought! Once the children had become experts in the geographical field, they used what they had learnt to plan and create their own town out of Lego. They showed fantastic teamwork and produced some amazing Lego towns. Their final project has been to create their very own informative “Red Bus” brochure.

After lots of fact-finding and research, the children put together some magnificent leaflets highlighting all the wonderful things that Windsor has to offer.

Form 2 Visit to The London Wetlands Centre

Form 2 visited the London Wetlands Centre to consolidate their science topic of habitats. The wetlands enabled them to explore the pond habitat. After exploring the grounds and the various pond life, including the incredibly gorgeous otters, they were put into small groups and given the task of creating the perfect habitat for various wetland animals by providing it with all the things they need to survive. The children worked superbly well in their groups, collaborating and discussing ideas. Needless to say, the very best thing about this activity was creating their ponds - digging holes with a trowel to fill with water. Some of the ponds were very deep as you can imagine! It really was a fantastic day out.

Upton House Families

The UHF team organised a Summer Fair with an ‘Around the World’ theme. The event was held on Saturday 1st July and featured a live steel band! Over 400 parents and children attended, enjoying ‘Around The World’ themed game stalls, a bake sale, fantastic food trucks and drinks from the local Windsor brewery. The event was hugely popular and together with tickets and raffle sales, the team raised over £4,550, of which £200 will be donated to the Baby Bank from the second hand book stall. The fair was also a great way for new parents who are joining the school to meet the Upton community.

Form 1 Maths

Form 1 maths is most certainly heading in the right direction

and to help us learn we asked some small robot friends of ours for assistance. Learning how to pre-programme our Bee-Bot friends was such fun, and we used maps to see whether we could successfully get from one map position to another. We had to use quarter turns, half turns, three-quarter turns and full turns and understand what we mean by clockwise and anticlockwise.

A bit like life itself, despite many twists and turns along the way, we all managed to get to where we wanted to be in the end!

Earlier in the term, UHF also organised some fantastic Coronation-themed parties for the children. A Coronation tea party was held for the Early Years children which involved them dressing up in royal-themed clothes and enjoying a lovely tea party with sandwiches and cakes, raising £41 for the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Charity in the process. The older year groups took part in Coronationthemed discos consisting of a DJ and some fantastic coronation-themed activities! The team raised £1,032 from the events.

Transition and Pre-Prep Prize Day

Transition and Pre-Prep parents and pupils gathering in the marquee to celebrate another extraordinary year and the superb achievements of our pupils were joined online by a considerable 756 family viewers in 22 countries including Israel and Turkey. After an inspiring talk by the explorer and writer Charlie Walker, proud parents and staff watched as pupils were awarded their prizes, which they all received with much excitement. Our youngest prize recipients were the Transition children who all happily bounded across the stage to collect their scrolls to celebrate the end of their EYFS journey. Form 1 is the year where the foundations of the EYFS are built upon and we see significant progress before moving up to Form 2, where they learn more complex new skills and suddenly, the work they do looks very advanced indeed, compared to those first steps in Transition. It really is an impressive journey in just a few short years, such is the pace of development at this stage of the children’s lives. Prize Day is a wonderful opportunity to recognise this and all their wonderful achievements.

We would like to congratulate all the prize winners, in addition to each and every child, no matter what stage in their journey, for achieving so much this year. They are all unique and wonderful and we are very proud of them all.

Prep Prize Day

Prep Prize Day was another wonderful event when we had an opportunity to truly celebrate the achievements of our fantastic Prep children. This was a final opportunity to congratulate our Form 6 girls who have always made us proud, and we were overjoyed to award them with their much- deserved prizes which they have all worked incredibly hard to achieve.

The large audience in the marquee as well as an international cohort of 706 viewers in 18 countries including Malaysia, Morocco and Australia, were motivated by our incredible speaker, Charlie Walker, a British adventurer, writer and motivational speaker, who spoke passionately and inspired every listener with tales of his expeditions. We were also treated to some truly outstanding musical performances by Alice, Joanna, Eleni and William! What a special time to say goodbye to our Form 6 children who are leaving for amazing adventures in their new senior schools. Good luck, we will miss you, and please come back to visit us!

Latin lessons open up so many conversations here at Upton House, from the historical to the scientific and it’s fun! A lot of words that the children may already know in French, Spanish or Italian can be traced back to Latin and pupils in Forms 5 and 6 love being able to make these links in Latin lessons. They learn translation skills, how to apply grammatical rules and develop a wider English vocabulary. As well as being an interesting subject in its own right, Latin can help to promote higherorder thinking. It also appeals to the logical learners amongst us and develops a cultural literacy that enriches our understanding of the modern world. Has anyone ever said to you carpe diem? That’s Latin, encouraging you to seize the day.

Form 3 Excursion to Waltham Place

Form 3 had a wonderful day visiting Waltham Place, a working organic farm and garden. We learnt about crop rotation while feeding the Tamworth pigs, Lady Mary and Lady Christabel.

Did you know that pigs give birth after three months, three weeks and three days?

Collecting and identifying mini beasts from the local flora and fauna was great fun, as well as playing leaf snap while walking through the woodland. We monitored the activities of the honey and bumble bees buzzing from flower to flower and worked in small teams to complete the food chain challenge. Rhubarb, beetroot, parsley and blackcurrants were just some of the fruits and vegetables that we saw growing in the kitchen garden. The whole experience really made us think about the importance of biodiversity and sustainability.

Form 3 Excursion to Windsor Great Park

Form 3 were fortunate to visit Windsor Great Park on their Schools’ Open Day and get an insight into life and work at the Great Park. Maintaining nearly 5,000 acres of land requires some serious equipment and six lucky pupils were treated to a bird’s eye view of Windsor and beyond on the estate’s own cherry picker. The children also had demonstrations on first aid and CPR, beekeeping, dendrochronology, tree surgery, knot tying, fencing and heavy machinery amongst lots of other intriguing jobs. However, the highlight of the day was sealing window panes and looking at the inner plumbing of a toilet! Who knew that Upton had so many budding plumbers and glaziers of the future! A fantastic day was had by all.

Forms 3 and 4 Humanities

This year Forms 3 and 4 have continued developing their investigative skills in history and geography. Form 3 explored the Stone Age and the extraordinary advances man has made over the millennia in terms of technology, culture, exploration and settlement, making wonderful cross-curricular links with their newlygained geographical knowledge of Europe. Parents beware; you may be bombarded with requests to visit Stonehenge, Skara Brae and Greece over the summer holidays!

Form 4 were not shy to voice their strong opinions during some heated arguments on contemporary issues when studying the ‘invasions’ of Britain in history. The children explored with gusto what ‘invasions’ were in relation to the migration and immigration issues of today. This was in response to the enthusiastic debating-fever gripping Upton of late - long may this appetite for discussion last!

Form 4 Excursion to Winchester Science Centre

Form 4 had a brilliant fun-packed outing to Winchester Science Centre. They explored the handson exhibitions, learning about different wave types and putting their knowledge of sound and electricity to the test! They entered the space centre, investigating why gravitational forces differ on planets, learning about electromagnetic waves and watching their infra-red selves dancing on a screen! The children then experienced an amazing hands-on rocket workshop where they designed their own rockets to ship Bob the astronaut safely to the moon. There was so much excitement watching him being launched and assessing what made the best rocket design and why. After a sunny picnic lunch, we entered the planetarium for an exciting and spectacular journey across the universe, exploring the constellations, planets in our solar system and our galaxy.

Prep Art

In an exciting art project, the children in Form 5 delved into the world of African tribal masks. They began by researching how masks are used globally, gathering inspiration from different cultures. Armed with their plans, they crafted stunning masks that displayed character and authenticity using mod roc. To add depth and interest, the children skilfully painted their masks, incorporating vibrant colours and shades reminiscent of African art. By adding beads and straw, they achieved an authentic touch. The masks turned out amazingly realistic and even carried a hint of scariness. The end results left everyone impressed and bursting with pride for their remarkable achievements.

Form 4 Residential at Phasels Wood

An adventure in the woods awaited us at Phasels Wood in April. The luggage, in normal Upton style, was quite a lot for two nights away. However, it turned out that all of it was needed as the weather was not on our side. Lots of fun was had by everyone, despite it being the first time away for some of the children. An exciting team game was Aragog’s Spider’s Web. Everyone had to get through the web one at a time. The children loved abseiling and, despite the torrential rain, managed to put the tents up and down with smiles on their faces.

Form 5 Residential at Willesley

Form 5 had the most wonderful time away at Willesley for three nights. The campsite was nature at its best. The children embraced the outdoors, as well as working on their orienteering skills, team building and leadership skills. One of the highlights was abseiling a fifteen-metre wall and canoeing along the canal. It was a time for the children to make memories and learn new skills. The key focus was independence and resilience and being able to relate these important life skills back in the classroom.

Form 6 French Residential

Without doubt one of the greatest highlights of the summer term has been the Form 6 French residential to Picardy. Our home for the week was a beautiful 18th century chateau set in stunning grounds.

The blindfolded obstacle course on our first morning was a very wet affair but despite this, several girls declared it their favourite activity with the mud just adding to the fun, although the teachers didn’t have quite so much fun dealing with the subsequent mountain of filthy trainers!

From dawn till dusk our days were packed with activities such as crêpe and mayonnaise making, visiting a chocolate factory and a snail farm, a scavenger hunt, and on our last gloriously sunny evening, songs, games and

marshmallows around the campfire. Our battlefields day was both fascinating and humbling, with the help of our superb guide Alain we explored the Albert Museum and some of the important sites of the Somme such as Thiepval, Lochnagar Crater and the trenches of Beaumont Hamel.

It was a week of adventure and friendship, and the opportunity to make some beautiful Upton memories.

Heading Back to the Future

Great Scott! Form 6 and Form 7 ex-Uptonians had a rockin’ time watching ‘Back to the Future’ at London’s Adelphi Theatre in April. The Form 7s were reunited with their teachers and friends at school before heading off to London on the coach. The

dazzling sets and costumes, catchy music, and witty lines had everyone gasping, dancing, and laughing throughout! An epic time was had by all - the show certainly gets a five-star review from us. We won’t spoil it but… watch out for that DeLorean!

UHS Flower Show Competition

This term we held our first-ever Upton House Flower Show, selecting a few of the categories from the Windsor Flower Show to focus on. Forms 3 and 4 were given ‘A Dish of 3 Radishes’ and ‘A Vegetable Animal’ and Forms 5 and 6 were allocated ‘A Pot of Homegrown Marigolds’ and ‘A Jar of Garden Flowers’.

The children entered so many amazing creations and the hall was bursting with colour and aromas! Our Eco Committee and Art Club also entered an incredible ‘Biodiversity and Bees’ wheelbarrow into the Windsor Flower Show. Well done to everyone who took part, and to all of those who were awarded prizes.

Waving to the King

Walking to The Long Walk as a whole school community has been a muchtreasured tradition here at Upton House School. For as long as we can remember, it has been an incredibly special occasion when we wave to the Royal Family en route to Royal Ascot and this year was certainly no different! In the warm sunshine, we happily walked to take our spot and lined up ready to wave our flags and cheer them on their way. Wearing our impeccable uniform, the girls wearing their boaters and the boys dipping their caps to the members of the Royal Family, we were certainly a wonderful sight to behold. The children were in their element as they saw King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne and created another wonderful true Upton memory!

Big Boys, Little Boys

Form 6 Tea Party

The Form 6 girls went above and beyond to create a truly memorable Tea Party for their parents. With open arms, they welcomed their parents with an unforgettable celebration of their time together at Upton House. The highlight of the event was a captivating catwalk where the girls proudly showed off their incredible capes and masks they had crafted. It was a special moment for parents to witness the creativity and talent of their daughters. The atmosphere was filled with love and nostalgia as a video flashback took them on a sentimental journey through the girls’ Upton life over the years. And to add to the emotional ambiance, the girls touched everyone’s hearts with a teary rendition of ‘Memories’. It was a perfect opportunity for the girls and their parents to reflect on the happy times they had shared throughout their Upton journey. The event was made even sweeter with a delicious spread of cakes provided by our dedicated catering team.

Form 6 Leavers’ Assembly

The final curtain has fallen on an unforgettable chapter for our Form 6 girls. We welcomed 132 overseas-based parents and family members from 12 countries including Mali, the USA, Japan and Brazil in addition to those present in the Wallace Hall for the Leavers’ Assembly on the last Friday of term. The assembly was a poignant moment of reflection as the girls reminisced about their remarkable Upton journey together. With tearful eyes and hopeful hearts, they united in a heartfelt rendition of ‘How Do I Say Goodbye’, capturing the essence of their shared experiences. Farewells are never easy, but we take solace in knowing that these exceptional young ladies are equipped for the exciting new horizons that await them at senior school. We couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishments this year and wish them boundless success in all their future endeavours.

Farewell to Form 6 2022-23

It has been an absolute privilege to watch these wonderful girls grow into incredible young ladies.

They bring life, energy, creativity and fun to Upton House. They laugh and giggle… a lot. They question, they constantly have ideas and they work hard. I am so proud of their achievements. Sixty two Senior school offers between them and fourteen scholarships is certainly to be celebrated, and phenomenal. They have all worked so hard at Upton House.

I will miss seeing them run around school… yes run! I will miss their laughter and their enthusiasm and their smiles.

Ballerinas, musicians, sportswomen, performers, artists and debaters! Talents in abundance.

Girls, I wish you the most incredible adventures in your Senior schools. They are lucky to have you. I can’t wait to hear about your time in Year 7, and I will be sending you two special invitations to pop back and join us at Upton House in June 2024. Watch out for them!

You will always have a very special place in my heart.

All my love, Mrs Thornton