Upton Update Spring 2023

Welcome from Mrs Thornton

As I write, Spring is certainly appearing! With blossom on the beautiful Upton magnolia tree outside school, and Windsor beginning to bloom, we look forward to the Coronation next term.

This term the children have all worked very hard. Through the drizzly and chilly winter months, and a sprinkling of snow, they have sparkled, dazzled and warmed our hearts. Form 6 achieved outstanding Senior school results and a plethora of scholarships. Form 1 enjoyed the most wonderful Grandparents’ Tea Party. Our Little Uptonians in Pre-Nursery and Nursery are all utterly adorable, enjoying their exciting days at Upton. Transition continues to impress with their incredible progress and work. With Soirées, House Music, Pre-Prep Music Assembly, Careers Fair and more, Upton has been busy, purposeful and buzzing!

Our broadcasting journey continues to add innovation, fun and connections. It brings together our extended Upton family all over the world, as we are regularly joined online by family members in many countries for our events. It also draws inspiring visitors to Upton to broadcast with us and talk to the children. This term Fergus Walsh came to visit with a cameo from Huw Edwards!

Sport at Upton is incredibly important to us. We have had great success this term and our swimming, netball, football and hockey all continue to go from strength to strength. We look forward to the cricket season next term!

Academic innovation with fun challenges such as Maths in Motion inspiring healthy maths competition to see who can win the Formula One

maths challenge, and the House Spelling Bee all added to the Upton calendar this term and will remain firm favourites. As will the trip to The Globe Theatre enjoyed by Form 5 and Form 6 this term and our District 10 IAPS Debating Competition initiated and organised by Upton. We have 25 schools visiting Upton next term for the heats and the final will be broadcast live from Upton on 5th June.

This is a bumper edition of The Upton Update and we very much hope you enjoy reading it.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy Easter. Don’t forget to plant your seeds for the Windsor Flower Show Upton challenge☺

Mrs Rhian Thornton

This term the Form 6 Heads of Environment, Mrs Min Ward and I hosted a meeting with Mr Nigel AylwinFoster of Reenergise to discuss the eco initiatives the girls are pursuing as well as wider environmental concerns faced by countries all around the world.

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.

Form 6 Results Are Incredible!

Form 6 have been working hard this year preparing for their assessments and interviews at a wide range of fabulous Independent Senior schools. They have all done incredibly well achieving multiple offers at their chosen schools. 61 offers amongst 27 girls is quite some result! This is the culmination of their Upton journey, and this Senior school success is our focus from the moment your children join us. Everything on offer here at Upton, opportunities in abundance, supports and prepares for the next stage in their education. Although we will be very sad to see them leave in July, I am immensely proud of them all and know they are ready for Year 7! Some of these Senior schools are amongst the top schools in the country and demand is very high, but Form 6 have navigated their way through all of their interviews and tests for each school listed with dignity and maturity. They were also awarded 12 scholarships along the way!! Well done Form 6.

Grandparents’ Tea Party

This year’s Grandparents’ Tea Party took place on Thursday 16th March 2023 in the Wallace Hall. We were delighted to have record numbers of grandparents attending this year, either live in the hall (some had travelled from as far as America and Australia) or accompanying us online from the comfort of their own homes. The children were quite literally beside themselves with excitement at the prospect of having a special afternoon dedicated entirely and uniquely to their grandparents. It reminded us all of the wonderful bond that exists between grandparents and their grandchildren. Our special guests were treated to an exquisite array of cakes, pastries, sandwiches and delicious refreshments whilst they sat back and enjoyed a performance in their honour. Mrs Thornton gave a warm introductory welcome and then the show began.

The children sang three songs; We’re The Best Of Friends by Craig McEvoy, Each And Every Day by Mark & Helen Johnson and When I Grow Up by Tim Minchin and recited four poems which they had all learned by heart; Grandad, Number One

Grandparents, Grandma’s Hugs Are Made Of Love (authors unknown) and Smiling Is Infectious by Spike Milligan. Interspersed in the performances the children also read out individual lines that they had written themselves to say why they love their grandparents so much. They held up paintings they had done of their grandparents, the way that they see them, raising smiles across the room.

The Form 6 Broadcasting Club joined the event interviewing grandparents, staff and children, just like the BBC! We broadcast the event live to five countries and a considerable online audience of 436 family members and friends – another international adventure!

It was the most beautiful afternoon and hopefully a memory that the children and their grandparents will treasure forever.

Prep House Music Day

The Prep House Music Day took place on Thursday 9th February in the Wallace Hall and was quite simply, a day of music and fun. The day was split into two parts: a morning session, in which we had the house music competition, and the afternoon session, in which we were treated to a recital of music from Dr Ian Taylor and his pupils from Farnborough Hill School.

The morning kicked off beautifully and in jovial style with a rendition of Wellerman by the Upton Staff Choir, followed by the junior and senior piano solo sections which included renditions of Tale As Old As Time, Disco Baroque, Little Playmates, Allegretto, The Detective and Starry Dome. Next were the junior and senior instrumental sections which featured Lava on ukulele, Yellow on electric drum kit, Mad World on acoustic guitar and Chanson Triste, Shake It Off and Allegro on violin. We were then treated to three original compositions in the open instrumental ensemble section, entitled Monsoon, Aquarium and Forest Tribe, arranged by the Form 6 girls using tuned and untuned percussion instruments.

After a morning snack and play time the competition resumed, this time focusing on our singers. The junior vocal solos included When I Grow Up, Just One Person and Soul Sister and the junior vocal duets included Tomorrow, Eye Of The Tiger and Somewhere Over The Rainbow. The senior vocal solos included The Greatest Love Of All, No Time To Die and Celestian, whilst the senior vocal duets included Rolling In The Deep, Sucker and an original song using a composition created in music technology lessons entitled Lost In The Game. The penultimate section, the wild card section, could include both singing and

instrumentation and the chosen songs were Mamma Mia, Titanium and Unstoppable. Finally, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived; the finale of the competition - the House Songs. This year the three songs, chosen, arranged and choreographed by the children themselves, were I’m Still Standing, Build Me Up Buttercup and Try Everything. The scores, which had been shared throughout each section of the competition, were added up and this year the winning House Cup was lifted by the St. Andrew House Captain, Alice.

The event was recorded and a link to the House Music Song performances was sent to parents post-production. In little more than two days, 150 people watched the performances in 8 countries, of whom 85% were in the UK and 6% in the US. Further viewers logged in from Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Japan and Austria.

After lunch we returned to the hall once more, this time to enjoy some music performed by a large group of Farnborough Hill School’s eldest students, directed by Dr Taylor. They performed a fantastic variety of songs and instrumental pieces and we were able to enjoy the sounds of the piano, violin, saxophone, French horn, trumpet and cajón, all played beautifully and performed with great energy. The afternoon was tremendous fun and the perfect way to end an inspiring and very enjoyable Prep House Music Day.

Prep Musical Soirée

The Prep Musical Soirée took place on Tuesday 31st January 2023 in the Wallace Hall. The evening was a lovely way to wave off any January blues and an opportunity for our audience to sit back, relax and enjoy some inspiring music from our Upton children. Overall, 48 children from Forms 3 to 6 performed to an audience of almost 300 people; 120 watched live online during the event and a further 130 joined later. The event was viewed by the wider Upton family in the UK, USA, France, Morocco, Germany, Malaysia, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, and Finland. Traditionally, the Musical Soirée audience was only the parents of the musicians, typically 30 parents in the hall. This has now opened up to not only other pupils, inspiring them to take on new instruments, but also to the extended Upton family who have continued to enjoy the event: One month later we had accumulated 770 viewers from this dedicated audience.

The evening ran in age group order, beginning with the younger children in Form 3 and culminating in performances from our Form 6 children. Parents were entertained by a wide range of musical instruments including piano, violin, cello, cornet, guitar, flute and trombone and the instrumental pieces ranged from Happy Birthday on the piano through to a Grade 8 piece entitled Scherzo on the cello. From the Cranberries and Taylor Swift to Vivaldi and Schubert, all musical tastes were catered for. A huge number of singers performed renditions of songs from musical theatre shows such as Mary Poppins, Oklahoma and High School Musical as well as pop songs from Coldplay and Billie Eilish. This was the very essence of the soirée; variety and inclusivity. It was inspiring to watch so many young children, especially those performing for the very first time, being brave enough to perform in front of a live audience and the cameras in such a calm and measured way. The evening was extremely enjoyable and we are very proud of our performers, staff and music enthusiasts for enabling the gift of music to be shared between so many of us.

Upton House Sport

Rugby with Zinzan

Our Form 3 boys were treated to an afternoon of learning from Zinzan Brooke, former All Blacks Rugby World Cup winning star, who visited Upton to share his insights into the world of rugby and pass on some of his exceptional expertise to our budding rugby stars. He went through a series of drills designed to work on ball handling skills, support to the ball carrier as well as developing try-scoring techniques. His wealth of knowledge was so evident to the boys and they were glued to his every word and so incredibly focused. The intensity of their play throughout the session grew and their love and enjoyment for the game was nurtured as well. What an incredible afternoon and something that the boys were so lucky to have as part of their rugby term.

Match Tea

A highlight of any fixture afternoon is match tea. The thought of having some delicious and nutritious food after playing a sports fixture is at the forefront of every sporting Uptonian’s mind as well as their visiting counterparts. Parents, children and visiting staff alike are invited into the dining room for some wonderful cake and tea or coffee, to mingle and discuss the sporting endeavours they have just witnessed. The kitchen staff are hard at work preparing hours before the fixtures to ensure the children have hot food, especially after a winter fixture, as well as refreshments to replenish their energy levels. Always immaculately presented, Upton match teas are renowned on the circuit!

IAPS Netball

After weeks of training, a select group of Form 5 and Form 6 girls travelled to Wellington College to participate in the IAPS Netball qualifiers on Wednesday 22nd February. Following an extremely competitive group stage, Upton progressed to the Plate Competition. An impressive victory against Piper’s Corner Prep School in the quarter-finals saw Upton take on Dragon School in the semi-finals. With the game in the balance, Upton managed to score quick points to provide a victory and take them through to the Plate Final against St Hugh’s. An incredibly tight game saw drama at the end with Upton scoring a late point and St Hugh’s narrowly missing a last-minute chance to draw, therefore meaning Upton House won the Plate Competition and took home the gold medals! Such an incredible performance all round!

Saturday Netball Tournament

Upton have participated in a number of Saturday tournaments including the Form 5 Netball tournament at St George’s Ascot. Ten of the most prestigious Prep Schools took part and Upton performed superbly. This tournament provided a fantastic start to the netball term and gave an insight into tournament play. Seven of our Form 5 girls participated, each rotating positions to get a good understanding, and they had the chance to put into practice all of the hard work they had been putting in on the practice courts. Some excellent shooting, great defensive play as well as combinations up the court provided great moments for Upton throughout the tournament and the confidence of all the girls grew as the games progressed.

IAPS Swimming

Monday 27th February saw the IAPS Swimming Qualifiers take place with twelve Upton swimmers competing. This was the first year that Upton had male swimmers take part and they, along with their female counterparts, swam incredibly well in their qualifying heats to try and progress to the National Finals at the London Aquatic Centre. Upton represented in all disciplines including front crawl, back stroke, breast stroke and butterfly as well as teams taking part in medley relays. A number of participants swam their personal bests and produced excellent times and are now eagerly awaiting the results in early May.

Forms 5 and 6 Cross Country

Oratory School in Reading hosted a Prep School’s Cross Country event on Thursday 2nd March to which Upton took an excited group of runners. Five Form 5 children and four Form 6 children took on the gruelling 3.5 kilometre course winding through the school’s grounds, encountering different terrains of gravel, mud and grass as well as steep hills and dips that challenged their running. Great performances all round, including one of our Form 6 girls who finished 5th overall in a competition of over 50 runners.

Prep House Gymnastics Competition

The Wallace Hall at Upton House played host to House Gymnastics on Tuesday 21st March. This involved all children from Forms 4 to 6 and required them to either perform a routine as a part of a group or complete a solo display. Each year group had a focus for their routines; Form 4 focus was weight on hands skills, Form 5 focus was rolling skills and Form 6 focus was rotation skills. It was a fantastic showcase of what they have learnt this term in our gymnastics lessons as well as an outstanding demonstration of hard work and determination to be able to produce such lovely routines. After a nail-biting competition, St George came away as the triumphant team. We were delighted to welcome back Ms Sarah Wilson, Head of Heathfield School, to judge our competition. She was accompanied by Miss K Boyce and two fantastic Heathfield gymnasts who gave exceptional performances while the judges deliberated. We were also treated to an amazing routine delivered by a former Uptonian that wowed everyone watching and rounded-off a wonderful evening of gymnastics in true style.

The audience in the Wallace Hall was joined by 422 family members and friends watching online in 14 countries including USA, Brazil, Switzerland, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa, Mali and Finland.

Maths in Motion

This term, Form 6 turned into Formula One engineers during their maths lessons. Using the Maths in Motion software, the girls set up virtual racing cars to race around real-life Grand Prix tracks. Our first race took place at Silverstone and the girls had to complete several mathematical activities to programme their cars for the race. As part of the project, the girls had to find the angles of each turn, measure the distance of the straights and optimise their engine settings. Once they had set their speeds for each feature of the track, they completed their qualifying laps and a fierce competition for pole position took place. With the grid positions decided, the girls gathered to watch the first Grand Prix with enormous excitement. The noise levels were so high, it felt like we were at Silverstone with thousands of fans! The race was full of drama with cars taking bends too fast or cars running out of fuel before their pit stops. A huge congratulations to the girls that finished on the podium.

During the project, the girls received a very special video message from former F1 driver Marc Gené that was recorded at the Bahrain Grand Prix outside the Ferrari paddock. He explained the importance of mathematics in Formula One for both the engineers and drivers and encouraged the girls to keep working hard.

Science Week

The corridors and playground were buzzing with excitement and enthusiasm for Science Week 2023! Lily and Aisling, our STEM leaders, kicked off the week with an assembly about the importance of science, highlighting some interesting and unusual jobs in the field and explaining the fun activities they had organised for Prep children to get involved in. With over 200 entries to the challenges, it was evident the week was a huge success, with many children inspired to take part. The fun included paper airplane flying, a crime-solving treasure hunt to find the name of the person who had committed the most heinous crime of stealing Mrs Bates’ goldfish, stomp rocket target practice, and paper boat sinking! Special gold science medals were handed out to the winners of each category.

STEM club pupils also finished building their individual solar-powered robots this week, incorporating some complex gear systems and fiddly designs. They were so proud watching their creations on their first trial run.

We are now looking forward to Upton’s first Flower Show next term and would love to encourage all of the Prep children to take part!

English

Cicero Debating Cup Competition

In February, the Form 6 debating team set off to London to take part in their first debating competition against other Prep schools. In their first debate, the team aced with their convincing and persuasive rhetoric arguing for the motion ‘This house would ban the monarchy’ and walked away triumphantly. In the next impromptu debate, they were enthusiastically supported by the Form 5

Spelling Bee

We are so pleased to have the Spelling Bee make a return to the school calendar and this time it was a fierce competition between Houses. It was a victorious St George who took the cup, but we congratulate all our finalists who showed outstanding dedication and effort in learning their words and braving the scrutiny of their spelling skills.

It was wonderful to see Upton pupils moving around the school at break and lunch quizzing each other, and giving spelling the spotlight it deserves. Watch this space for future competitions!

team who helped them to prepare in the 20 minutes allowed against the motion ‘This house believes that sports stars are the best role models for kids’. It was a nail-biting showdown and the Upton team put forward some passionate arguments but were sadly trumped by their opposing team. It was a great introduction to parliamentary-style debating and we are so proud of their confidence and articulation. Well done team! Their next stop is the inaugural IAPS District 10 Debating Competition next term which we are delighted to have initiated and be hosting here at Upton.

World Book Day

We kept World Book Day creative and fresh whilst still fostering a great love of reading and books by integrating broadcasting, now firmly embedded in the curriculum here at Upton. We decided to produce engaging footage that would be great fun for the children and make the school stand out from the more typical still pictures of children in costumes. We still did a few of those but we wanted to inspire children to be creative with books and text using broadcasting. Our focus was demonstrating the breadth of approach to enjoying World Book Day, and celebrating books using video footage. Technology is a useful tool for invigorating that love of reading amongst this tech-savvy generation. On the day itself, we recorded Form 2 book reviews. The children delivered a live-broadcast, passionate and engaging synopsis of their favourite classics.

We also had great fun with Unnatural Pairings. In Forms 5 and 6 for example, Mary Poppins met Horrible Henry; Mary Queens of Scots met the Cat in the Hat. Further down the school The Hungry Caterpillar met Mr Bump! Shakespeare’s characters met those from the present day! The improvised chats between the characters from different genres and times were fascinating, invigorating, and fun and brought a whole different and innovative energy to World Book Day 2023. Being able to watch and review their conversations afterwards was incredibly useful and the children loved it.

We then moved to assembling unselected characters to complete a story and perform a skit. None of these costumes were pre-agreed. It was quirky, and hilarious and displayed a love of the classics throughout the whole school with video shorts including The Wizard Oz and Cruella which were published on our social media channels to rave reviews.

How could we then not take the opportunity to create The Evolution of Cat in the Hat – a play on the Evolution of Humans Assembling representative Cat in the Hats across the year groups, which included Forms 1, 3, 5, 6 and a member of staff; the results were poignant and powerful. As a final touch, we also recorded all of the children in their costumes from Early Years to Form 6 – that’s a lot of costumes! Each child did a little moment on the stage, proudly modelling their book character – even the youngest Uptonian, whether it was homemade that morning or a classic purchased attire.

Careers Fair

This year’s Upton House Careers Fair was a huge success with a superb selection of visiting speakers. We were blessed to be joined by:

Captain D’Silva - Flight Technical Manager, Boeing

Mrs Hammersley - Voice-Over Artist

Mr Harris - Sports Agent

Dr Khanna - Consultant Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologist

Dr Malkan - Dentist

Miss Pearmaine - Senior First Officer

Dr Rangarajan - Consultant Radiologist

Mr Simmance - Actor

Mrs Smith-Moore - Management Consultant

Dr Yuravlivker - Master at Eton College

Each speaker inspired and informed, leaving the Forms 5 and 6 audience ready to hear more and ask many questions. They all had fascinating stories to tell and entertained us with their honesty, giving us and the children an insight into their roles and career choices. Thank you to all our speakers for giving their time so generously. It really was appreciated so much.

Cross Curricular History

Form 1 have had an exciting term of history, learning all about the Victorians. They have explored many features of the Victorian era such as toys, seasides, inventions, authors and royalty. They thoroughly enjoyed playing with various Victorian toys and showed much interest in how different they are to the toys we play with today. Learning about Queen Victoria was also another highlight, especially finding out that she was the second-longest reigning monarch of our country. The children loved exploring the different Victorian inventions and how things such as cars and telephones have evolved since then.

Learning about the seaside was another highlight where the children discovered how people in this era would spend their holidays visiting the seaside. They produced some fantastic postcards telling their friends all about the different activities they would do, such as donkey rides and watching a Punch and Judy show.

Form 1 also learnt about the features of the castle and the names such as battlements, portcullis and keep. This was really useful for when they visited Windsor Castle. They looked at the jobs that people do in the Castle - we bet you don’t know what a Gong Farmer is! It isn’t a pleasant job! They drew their own family crests on shields after seeing them on the walls and ceilings in Windsor Castle.

Form 2 have thoroughly enjoyed our history lessons this term and have been inspired to become geologists, inventors, authors and designers, to name a few. They did a topic on famous people, learning about Florence Nightingale, Alexander Graham Bell, Mary Seacole and a famous person of their choice that they researched at home and presented at school. So many amazing and talented people in our world!

The children are fully informed on how both hospitals and the fire service have evolved over time and know that we are much better equipped to fight fires and treat patients now.

Having learnt about evacuees during WWII, the pupils have gained an understanding of what life may have been like for children and families during this difficult period. They wrote letters home to their parents from the eyes of an evacuee living in the countryside, demonstrating an amazing level of empathy for those children having to leave home during this time.

Pre-Prep Music Assembly

Our Pre-Prep Music Assembly was held with great anticipation this term, to showcase our budding new musicians. 25 children volunteered to perform on instruments such as the piano, violin, recorder and of course singing. We welcomed parents watching in the hall and even more watching remotely online, in total 206 viewers from nine countries including Cyprus, USA and India. You could sense the nerves in the room, however, not from the children! They were outstanding. They announced what they would be performing and played or sang so confidently, it was difficult to believe how young these children are and that some of them have only been learning for a matter of weeks. It was a magical moment to witness. These children are our future musicians and with talent like that at Upton House, we look forward to many more concerts as they progress through the years. Well done Pre-Prep children but also a big thank you to all the music teachers and parents at home, who inspire these little people to love performing.

Form 2D and 2P Assemblies

Form 2 held their class assemblies this term and as always the children amazed us with their professionalism and ability to remember such interesting facts and fabulous songs. Based on our history topics of the term, Form 2D enjoyed sharing the facts that they had learnt about Florence Nightingale. They also performed a sketch, demonstrating what life was like in a hospital during Florence’s time in Scutari and their song was infectious (excuse the pun!) - we were all singing about taking our medication for weeks! Form 2P’s assembly was slightly more poignant and focussed on life as an evacuee during World War II. They told us all about evacuation, rationing, Make Do and Mend, the Dig for Victory campaign, the Blitz and air raid shelters. The children thoroughly enjoyed reciting their facts and singing songs to their parents, grandparents and peers alike. Both assemblies were extremely well-attended in person but we also had an impressive online audience from as far afield as the Philippines, India, Australia, USA and Turkey with 96 viewers tuning in to the 2D assembly and 98 watching the 2P assembly.

Pre-Nursery: People Who Help Us

This term Pre-Nursery have been busy exploring the topic of ‘people who help us’. We have looked at a wide range of people such as the police, firefighters, doctors and vets and have enjoyed using the dressing up to become these people ourselves. PreNursery are very fortunate that one of our lovely parents is a dentist who was willing to come in and talk to the children about his job. Dr Patel showed the children how to keep their teeth shiny, clean and white, and the children were very excited and proud to tell Dr Patel that they all brush their own teeth in the morning and at bedtime! Dr Patel also talked about foods and drinks that are good and bad for your teeth, and much to the children’s disappointment, sweets and chocolate were on the bad list! Dr Patel also told us that younger children have 20 teeth, which ignited the children’s enthusiasm to count their own teeth, and they then enjoyed challenging themselves with a numbermatching teeth game.

Transition: Dinosaurs

This term the Transition children immersed themselves in one of the most popular topics of the year: dinosaurs. We looked at their habitats and learnt how an asteroid ended the age of the dinosaurs many years ago. We paid attention to their features and compared differences between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. We were amazed at how big or small some of them were! There was much excitement in Transition after a mysterious letter appeared in each classroom with a large egg that hatched slowly whilst the children took great care of them. They investigated and wrote questions that prompted some discussions about what could be in the eggs. The enthusiasm was shared with their families as the children could not stop talking about it.

Transition children adopted an adorable triceratops, stegosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex as they hatched from the eggs. Craft activities were made to decorate our displays and further investigation took part as the children became palaeontologists for a day, using small tools and brushes to dig fossils out. A T-Rexcellent topic full of learning opportunities!

Nursery: Maths

This term, when the weather has permitted, Nursery children have been enjoying applying their mathematical skills when playing outdoors. The children have put their building ability to the test when constructing oversized shapes using planks. We have been ordering numbers using stones and exploring the size of numbers using giant Numicon.

Nursery loved playing ‘the floor is lava’ with the added jeopardy of possibly standing on the wrong Numicon piece! Inspired by our Forest School trip, the children enjoyed a scavenger hunt searching for the exact number of conkers, sticks and leaves specified by the dice. Opportunities to have fun with numbers are all around us!

Form 1 Trip to Windsor Castle

As part of their ‘Castles’ topic this Spring Term, Form 1 had the privilege of visiting Windsor Castle. Before the trip, the children learnt all about the castle’s defence system and were extremely excited when they were able to see the castle itself and put their learning into action. The children were quick to spot the battlements at the very top of the castle and loved pretending to be soldiers shooting arrows from the various arrow slits situated around the castle walls. Daniel from Form 1 said that “Seeing the moat was surprising because there was no water in it”. Once inside the castle, the children were amazed when they saw Queen Mary’s beautiful doll’s house, and the King’s bedroom and imagined what it would feel like to sit on the spectacular throne that was situated in one of the many grand rooms. One main highlight of the day was having the opportunity to visit St George’s Chapel to see Queen Elizabeth’s final resting place. Here the children showed such respect for our late queen and will treasure this memory forever. Another highlight of the day was the educational workshop where the children and staff were able to envision being in a castle and learnt how William the Conqueror first built Windsor Castle. Yuvraj in 1S said that taking part in the educational workshop was his favourite part of the day because he enjoyed being chosen to pretend that he was invading the castle.

Form 2 Visit the Milestones Museum

Form 2 visited the Milestones Museum in Basingstoke this term. It was a much anticipated trip to consolidate all we have learnt about World War II in our history lessons and it did not disappoint. Milestones tells the story of how people used to live from Victorian times through to the 1940s - the things they used, the types of shops they would have visited and the work they did. The maze of streets is packed with shops, factories and houses, most based on original buildings from in and around the Basingstoke area. There are also beautifully restored vehicles, from a Victorian tram, to classic motorbikes, a Romany caravan, a 19th century steam-powered fire engine and the firm favourite, an old double decker bus.

We had two fantastic talks that were fun and interactive with lots of dressing up. We first met an ARP warden who described to us what life would have been like during an air raid. We were shown an Anderson shelter, learnt about the importance of the blackouts and even had the opportunity to try on a gas mask. It was agreed that we wouldn’t have liked to have worn these for long! Secondly, we met a shop keeper who brought to life the topic of rationing – why certain foods were rationed and how people would go about redeeming their rationed food with their ration books. The children were given the opportunity to sort foods into groups of those that were rationed and those which were not. We also learnt about first aid during World War II and how to tie a sling, having great fun practising on each other.

Form 3 Koalas Sleepover

Form 3 had an amazing experience at their sleepover! As always, Rich Adventure pulled out all the stops to make the children’s experience of sleeping over at school a wonderful one. The experience began with geocaching on The Long Walk. The children worked as a team to solve the clues and took part in a variety of other team building activities. They then ventured back to school where they put up their own tents to sleep in with their friends. After a delicious dinner, the children got ready for bed and after a whole evening of laughter and smiles, slept in their tents. The following morning, the children dismantled their tents collaboratively and participated in learning first aid. This was a truly unforgettable experience!

Form 3 Explore Ancient Greece

This term, Form 3 were delighted to visit the Eton College Museum of Antiquities for an incredibly interesting Ancient Greek workshop! The children thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Ancient Greek art, myths and language. It was incredibly interesting learning the stories, history and purpose behind pottery and other fascinating historical artefacts. Ancient Greek Gods were a firm favourite with all the children, particularly Zeus, the King of the Gods! A particular highlight of the session was when the children had the freedom to explore the museum, looking into the beautifully exhibited displays and experiencing the curiosity and wonder when opening the artefact draws. Learning was rich throughout the whole experience, and this was shown with the children’s inquisitive questions about the Ancient Greeks.

Form 4 River Thames Workshop

What is the best way to practise our geographical skills? With a fieldwork trip of course! Form 4 relished the opportunity to practise their map reading skills on a long springtime walk from Windsor to Datchet. Our trip began with a visit to Windsor Farm Shop to see the local produce that they sell, and even engaged in some social geography by asking some members of the public questions to learn more about their experiences of buying locally. The children then worked as a team to follow their route along the river and carried out a successful traffic survey. The children enjoyed investigating places in their local area and produced some beautiful sketches of key features of our surroundings such as the local church and the River Thames itself. We walked all the way to Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station where we were collected by minibus and returned to school, full of energy and smiles after ample amounts of fresh air! This was a wonderful walk indeed!

Form 5 and Form 6 Trip to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

With both Forms 5 and 6 completing a unit of learning this term on Macbeth and The Tempest respectively, we were extremely excited to transport them back in time to Shakespeare’s stage play world at the Globe Theatre in London. There were so many questions before we left: why was it only men who were allowed to perform? Did people really stand for hours to watch a play? Can we act the play out? Will they let us go on stage?

After consuming a hearty packed lunch on the sunny South Bank, we were met by our representative and began our tour of the fascinating theatre. We were even lucky enough to catch the Globe actors warming up and rehearsing on stage. Next, it was the Upton children’s turn to tread the boards and think more deeply about a particular scene. They really got into character and were absorbed in their tasks. Form 6 were even invited to stay and watch a production of The Tempest which made the day extra special.

F3 Trip to Windsor Library

Where do you go on a freezing cold, wet and rainy Tuesday morning…? You go to the library of course! Form 3 spent a very happy morning at Windsor Library, continuing the excitement of World Book Week. Children were introduced to how different parts of the library are organised and used this knowledge to go on a scavenger hunt around the library. One group managed something that no one in the history of Windsor Library had ever done and found all eight items on the list; some librarians in the making! The children also had great fun creating their own bookmarks to keep their noses in as many books as possible!

Neurodiversity Week

From Monday 13th - Friday 17th March we celebrated Neurodiversity Week 2023; a worldwide initiative that is all about celebrating our differences, understanding ourselves and each other, and recognising and valuing individual strengths. It was a great week filled with important conversations about the way we all think and learn.

The focus of our whole-school assembly was recognising that we can see and hear the same information but experience it differently. We looked at the picture of the infamous blue and black (or is it?) dress, which caused great surprise and debate amongst children and staff! Children from across Prep embraced a LEGO challenge where they were all given one minute to build a fish. Although they had all been given the same instruction and resources, the models were wonderfully different with their own individual strengths.

The children in EYFS focused on colourful stories and activities – the world is full of different colours which makes it beautiful! Little Upton made a beautiful patchwork elephant out of tissue paper after reading Elmer.

Some of the older Prep children engaged in thoughtful discussions about what it means to think differently and how we can use this knowledge to better understand each other. We will sometimes hear words that are used to help us understand different thinking styles. Greta Thunberg, for example, is autistic. Is that the only word we would use to describe her? Of course not! The children were quick to come up with all sorts of other words – brave, ambitious, passionate, determined, inspirational. If only Greta could have been there to hear them…

Wellbeing

How to Deal with our Emotions

Throughout this year the Pre-Prep children have been focusing on their emotions and how to recognise them in our weekly Wellbeing lessons. We all know that every one of us feels a variety of emotions every day and that they are all okay to have – there are no bad or negative emotions! Having the Feeling Monsters in the classroom enables us to link a particular monster to how we are feeling. Posters around the classroom also enable us to use language to express how we are feeling. Feelings and emotions are temporary, they are visitors which we all have at different times. During lessons, we have learnt that it is okay to feel a certain way and that talking about our emotions enables us to have more of an understanding and to think about how we can overcome certain ones.

We have explored how our bodies feel when they respond to different emotions and the different things we can do to bring us back into a positive mindset. Meditation in the classroom enables us to have a sense of calm and reflection time. It also teaches us various strategies that we could use when we feel certain emotions. Breathing techniques have also been explored to help overcome feelings such as sadness, anger, and anxiety.

One of our most favourite things to do has been to consider how music can change our emotions and how we can use this as a tool to help us feel calm. One activity that we took part in was to listen to different types of music and discuss how that piece of music made us feel. This activity gave us an opportunity to use emotional language and to also understand that everyone feels and thinks differently. We know that sharing our feelings with someone we trust is helpful towards feeling positive, and reading different stories has helped us to understand how all these feelings come and go for everyone. In every classroom we have a Calm Corner, filled with lots of different tools that can help us feel calm at times when our minds might be feeling full, for example resources such as guided meditations, Play-Doh, sensory balls and much more. We enjoy sharing and using our Calm Corners to help us keep control of our feelings. What do you do to help yourself feel calm?

In February, as part of Children’s Mental Health Week, Mrs Hewitt recorded a wellbeing talk for parents. The focus was the connections we can nurture with our child and for ourselves that build regulation skills, boosting confidence, resilience and growth. Mrs Hewitt shared tips and strategies for all age groups.

Broadcasting Club

Mr Thornton and Miss Smith expanded the Broadcasting Club this term with a second evening session to enable pupils to continue their broadcasting journey while introducing new pupils to broadcasting. We have twenty two enthusiastic broadcasters, with more than half of the members being new to the club. Those pupils who joined for their second and third terms increased their experience with active roles in January’s Open Morning when they controlled live cameras, vision mixing, audio and graphics. During this event, the Club was responsible for the Form 6 song and the live outside sports segment.

During our club sessions, the intermediate group have been creating their green screen skydive,

starting the short film with going to the airfield, the skydive and the landing back at the airfield.

We were very fortunate that Fergus Walsh, the BBC’s Medical Editor, agreed to present to the children as part of an assembly. The event was delivered from the Jubilee Studios with Mr Walsh in Studio One and Aisling and Lily, the Heads of Broadcasting, in Studio 2, introducing Mr Walsh who presented slides. Mr Walsh kindly recorded interviews with his BBC Team and also an interview with Huw Edwards, who spoke to the children. The Prep children watched the stream of the pre-recorded team interview from the hall, and Mr Walsh then joined them in the hall for a live Q&A session. The children were captivated and asked endless interesting questions!

UBC Presenters handing over to Fergus Walsh

Multi view from Jubilee studios. Showing Fergus in Studio 1, Aisling and Lily in Studio 2, Children in the hall.

Fergus introduced a pre-record of his team before moving to the hall seamlessly – action shot of the transition!

Huw Edwards spoke to Upton through a pre-record Mrs Thornton hosted Q&A with Fergus and the pupils in the Hall

Easter Assembly

Forms 3 and 4 gave us a wonderful flavour of the Easter story, by telling a poignant legend of three trees. The story follows the journey of the trees when they are cut down. At first, they are disappointed that they are only going to be made into a feed trough, a fishing boat and planks. In fact, the trees become something special in Jesus’s life. As we reflect on this lovely story of the three trees, the feed trough becomes the manger, the fishing boat carries Jesus in the violent storm and the planks become the cross. Something ordinary into something beautiful, something weak into something strong and something forgotten into something significant. Form 4 performed with great confidence and impressive acting skills, with Form 3 as a supporting choir. The Staff and Middle Choirs sang beautifully. All of the singing was truly touching, and many tears of joy were shed by the audience, whether present in the hall or online, where 227 people in 9 countries including Spain, Slovakia, USA, Brazil, UAE, Malta, Italy and Finland joined the assembly.

Art

The children have created some wonderful art this term ranging from sculptures and acrylic paintings to cityscapes in the style of Paul Klee and making teddy waistcoats, threading needles and sewing on buttons.

Explore this rich curriculum and the amazing artwork by visiting the @ UptonArt Twitter account here : www.bit.ly/uhsuu23art or scan the QR code

Key Events Summer Term

Thursday 20th April

Prep Art Exhibition Evening

Saturday 22nd April

Virtual Open Morning

Thursday 4th May

Prep Swimming Gala

Thursday 4th May

Transition, Pre-Prep, Forms 3, 4 and 5

UHF Coronation Disco

Friday 19th May

Please refer to the school calendar for the full list of events

Thursday 29th June

Forms 5 and 6 Musical Soirée

Saturday 10th June

Upperton Ball at Beaumont Estate Hotel

15th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd June

Performances of Mary Poppins

Tuesday 27th June Prep Prize Day

Transition & Pre-Prep Prize Day

Saturday 1st July UHF Summer Fair

Tuesday 4th July

Transition & Pre-Prep Sports Day

Wednesday 5th July

Prep Sports Day