SHERBORNE PREP TRINITY Term NEWSLETTER 2021
Stronger Together / Our School / One Community
Keeping the community strong and together was again the core aim this Term. Children back in school, learning productively, but also engaging with our parent body, doing what we could to run school as normally as possible. The SPS CARES initiative was a great success with the majority of our Year 3-8 pupils staying overnight in boarding, and many parents attending morning motivation sessions as well as coffee and chat events. We managed a positive end to term with inperson events, live-streaming and many photos and videos produced to celebrate our pupils’ achievements. I hope everybody enjoyed the end of term festivities. The summer music concert was the best I have ever seen, the art exhibition was spectacular, Year 8 performed a lovely leaving show and a stunning Shakespeare production, and prize giving was streamed live to all parents (whom we hope enjoyed the picnic hampers) in its usual celebratory form. Our links with Sherborne School continue to build following our merger in April. A fun business challenge run by Sherborne School Fifth Form with our pupils as the consumers, ran very successfully. I offer Natalie Bone, my successor, my very best wishes. I know that the future of Sherborne Prep with the added guidance and support of Dominic Luckett, Head of Sherborne School and with Natalie as Head, the school is in great shape and can look forward to a wonderful future. Nick Folland, Headmaster
Pastoral We are delighted that the Houses will be able to come together in the new academic year and there are a number of exciting House Events booked into the calendar. The first Saturday of term is a House bonding morning for the pupils in years 3-8. It will be fantastic for the younger children to work with their older peers and for the senior children to experience looking after the younger ones after a year of not being able to connect. Do look out for the House events over the school year, parent participation will be welcomed in some of these! Sherborne Prep is a community, and our children want to support the town they live in. Every term the school will hold a Community Action morning. The children will be working within the community on various initiatives, and we will be supporting local charities through events and activities. The ‘Nellie Welly litter pick’ will be a weekly event that children can sign up to: Take Nellie our wellbeing dog for a walk; get fresh air and exercise AND, Improve our local area! Pupils in year 7 will have the opportunity to apply to be a ‘Pupil Listener’. This is an exciting new role for children in the senior part of the school to learn how to work with younger children, to mentor them and develop their leadership skills. Annie Gent Deputy Head - Pastoral Designated Safeguarding Lead
BOARDING
Well, what a fantastic end to a rather unusual year! It has been wonderful to have been able to open up the boarding house again after such a long time and it has been especially exciting to have seen so many members of the school spend some time in the house.
Since our full re-opening, we have aimed to provide not only continuing stability for those who have been with us all year, but also the normal experience of flexi-boarding that so many have missed out on. To this end we have extended our usual offering of weekend activities to also include year group nights that have proved hugely popular. From years 3-8, each group have had the chance to spend a couple of nights in house, reacquainting themselves with their friendship groups and able to build a little independence. The Big Weekend Campout proved more popular than ever, as did our trips to Dorset Water Park and Flip Out Trampoline Park. As we progress into next year, we are looking forward to providing the same experiences for a whole new
group of children as we begin a rolling programme of year group nights from the start of the year; allowing the senior end of the school to develop their independence and leadership within the boarding community as well as the junior end of the school to build their resilience and responsibility. We can’t wait! If you are interested in seeing a little more about boarding, do follow us: @sherborneprepboarding on Instagram and Twitter. We look forward to seeing what you get up to over the summer as well!
Dan Chiappa-Patching Housemaster Acreman Head of Boarding
Pre-Prep
Our Pre-Prep curriculum truly embeds learning in play and the engagement of our pupils has been superb throughout the wide range of activities this term which have included:
Treasure hunt – following maps, orientation Cooking pizzas – fractions Drawing our bodies – organ identification Gardening – biology, outdoor learning, caring about plants and the environment
Bubbles – shapes Hungry Caterpillar – in French Art patterns – repetition, symmetry and patterns in maths Water fun – volume and behaviour of liquid Jelly – cubes and friction experiments Hatching of chicks – life cycles with real animals Pirates – writing, adventures Bugs – caring for animals and the community Building – cooperation, tools, problem solving Music – violin club, confidence, risk taking Balancing – challenges, cooperation Role playing – empathy, caring about each other
ACAD
EMIC This academic year we have introduced a new assessment system to include both attainment and effort. Effort goes from 1 (the highest) to a 4 at the other end of the scale. While attainment ranges from an ‘A’ grade to an emerging ‘D’ grade. Parents’ evenings have been held online this year, using the SchoolCloud system. This has proved very popular with parents, and we are considering continuing to use this system for the coming academic year.
We continue to develop our tracking systems in key subject areas, and this will be part of the main focus for the coming academic year. Additionally we have enjoyed the remotelearning skills our pupils have gained which have continued to benefit them in our return to normal. Ned’s History project video. Daniel Fernley Deputy Headmaster - Academic
Prep
This term we held our traditional common entrance examinations in the sports hall, something we were unable to do last summer term due to lockdown. On the first day of the examinations, we had a chief inspector from the CE board, checking our systems – we
were given less than 24 hours’ notice. She was thoroughly impressed with the way the exams were administered and has since written: ‘Your organisation of the exams and compliance with ISEB’s regulations were both impressive, and it was clear that your candidates are in very capable hands indeed, so well done to you and your team of staff!’.
R A L U C I R R U C O C Leading the co-curricular provision at any school is always one of the best jobs. There are so many opportunities for fun, discovery and enjoyment that you can’t fail to smile when looking back. From the pupil perspective, this has been a relatively normal term as we have packed in an awful lot. The Saturday programme has proved as popular as ever and the multitude of activities taking place during the week has been significant. The Art, Drama, Music and Sports departments have continued to work tirelessly to provide a rich and vibrant programme and as you read their individual sections in the newsletter, it is obvious that the children have achieved a great deal in the process. Sherborne Prep is a really happy School and the co-curricular programme lies at the very heart of this community. Looking ahead to next term, we have an exciting programme of activities in place and can’t wait to build on all the good things that taken place this term.
Trinity Term Saturday activities: Dodgeball, Outdoor games, Photography, Chess, Art, Music, Library Club, Creative Writing, Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning, Creative chat and chill, Cricket, Doodle Club, 3D paper models, Board games, 4 Square
After School Enrichment: Prep help, Latin, Science extension, English, Maths, French, Music
Sport
The Summer term at the Prep is always a great term for Sport and this one has been no different.
The huge joy and benefit gained from returning to fixtures has been felt by all and with the weather turning good, just at the right moment, the benefits of our site and the shared cricket spaces at Sherborne School, have been obvious to all. We have continued to develop an inclusive and positive culture and have enjoyed some great afternoons with our friends from other schools. The team spirit and positive manner in which our pupils have participated in matches has been commented on by several schools. Over and above this crucial aspect, we have played well throughout with some hugely positive performances across the board from both the boys and girls. It is clear that we are in a strong position on the sporting front at the moment with some real strength in depth across the age range. We have also continued with our focus on mixed sport and have been delighted by the progress made on this front. Seeing the boys and girls, competing, together, in a range of sports, has been one of the absolute benefits of the last year. In all, the year has ended on a real high and we look forward to September with real anticipation and excitement. We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Independent School of the Year Awards 2021 in the category of Sporting Achievement. Our submission for this award was based on the individualised provision for our pupils through the FMS programme which helps each pupil to develop their own functional movement patterns and access the full sporting curriculum. It recognises the efforts we go to as a School to provide the best possible opportunities for each and every pupil and draws reference to the continued provision for our pupils over lockdown and their engagement within the programme remotely. We feel this award is a just reward for the pupils of Sherborne Prep who truly seize every opportunity offered to them and make Sherborne Prep a special community to be part of. Huw Thomas Director of Operations and Co-Curricular Director of Sport
SPORTS DAY
Art
The Art department has been as busy as ever with a huge number of pieces produced by all pupils at the Prep. This term, eighteen pupils were selected to represent the school at the first round of the Young Artists Summer Show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Now in its third year, the exhibition brings together work by primary and secondarylevel students from across the UK and beyond. I am extremely proud of the quality of their work, their imagination and the individual character of each piece submitted.
quality and volume of work created by our pupils and I was excited to be able to return to our Summer Art Exhibition. This year, more importantly than ever, we celebrated the joy and wonders of artistic expression in our community, in addition to work from our Year 8 pupils who left last year, art scholars and art students from Bryanston, Sherborne School, Sherborne Girls and Clayesmore. It was a fantastic event despite restrictions.
The artists are Archie A, Ines, Fiona, Tilly A, Crystal, Lucy, Olivia R, Kathleen, Alma, Phoebe P, Raff, Rupert R, Charlie D, Xanthe, Archie R, Sophie D, Constance C and Jemima S.
We enjoyed the art videos broadcasted in assemblies and promoted on social media, a weekly event that showed just a small proportion of the art produced by all in the school. The artist of the week has been fun too and difficult to select from so many wonderful artists. We have also produced a new School card with a wonderful painting by Martha T created in just 30 minutes.
Archie Atkinson has continued to produce fantastic work after achieving his art scholarship at Kings Bruton, a credit to his talent and hard work. He has also obtained the Senior Art Prize this year. The Junior Art Prize went to Luke Jamieson. Although it has been a very unusual time for all of us, creativity has not been stopped by lockdowns and new challenges. I have been amazed by the
As ever, I am incredibly grateful for all your art, your imagination and your joie de vivre. Fernando Velazquez Head of Art / Year 6 Form Teacher
Drama Of course, this Trinity term was yet another term of limitations, restrictions in our movement and endless unknowns. But if anything, this way of teaching and learning that has become the norm over the last sixteen months has simply challenged us to be even more creative and to really think outside the box and perhaps, off the stage.
In the department and in our weekly drama lessons we have enjoyed finding the positives in this new way of exploring, creating and learning. Trinity term would normally be jam packed with not one, not two, but three productions! This is no mean feat in a particularly short term. Unable to produce a Year 4 musical, the students enjoyed working on a much smaller scale as they developed skills to produce effective monologues and duologues. Short videos were made and then analysed. This form of self-analysis drove the children to work even harder, paying attention to detail. After the Year 5s and 7s couldn’t perform their plays in the Michaelmas term, we took the opportunity to work outside as much as possible and produce short performances. The 5s performed our chosen chapter from David Walliams’ ‘The World’s Worst Parents’ by the pirate ship. The children enjoyed the exploration of the larger-than-life characters and the use of physical theatre for the extreme situations!
Having spent a number of weeks learning about the work of Frantic Assembly, the 7s produced beautiful and rather thought-provoking ‘chair duets’ on the front lawn. I was thrilled they were filmed for the school website and look forward to seeing these soon. The end of the year is always a moment to look forward to as we enjoy Mr. Pyman’s annual Scholars’ Shakespeare play. After last years’ epic video production filmed from various gardens around Sherborne, we were so happy to see the cast rehearsing on the front lawn again, sometimes in the wind and drizzle, and other times in the sunshine. ‘A Midsummer Nights’ Dream’ was magical, entertaining, moving, and full of hilarity. Performed under a blazing sun, it will be another very special moment to remember. A donkey yes, but no real horses on stage this year...I’m sure they’ll be back next year!
We then finished the year with The Leavers’ Show. Initially, I may have rather reluctant to perform outside, but if we were going to sing, outside was the only venue. Fingers were crossed for good weather, and we were blessed with it. The whole school and the Year 8 parents enjoyed three thirtyminute performances of medleys from ‘A Little Shop of Horrors’ and songs from ‘Rocketman’. It was a joy to see the children all together, taking a moment to reflect and celebrate their special time at the Prep. Wishing you all a very happy holiday and I look forward to another packed year of creativity next year! Vicki Green Head of Drama
MUSIC
It has been quite an extraordinary term. Although we have been in year group bubbles, we have still managed to provide a full and exciting music programme.
We have recorded concerts for years 3 to 8 every week, we have managed face-to-face music exams, online theory exams, a leavers’ service in Sherborne Abbey, an outside leavers’ musical concert to a live Year 8 parent audience!, and the most wonderful concert involving so many children across all year groups, in the marquee. To see the children’s faces as they were performing was a sight to behold because I didn’t think it would have been possible during this year. It was sad that parents could not see their children perform live this term, but the professional streaming of the concert was a fantastic second best. I am sure that the next academic year will be far more normal. A final word about our amazing music scholars, they have achieved great things under very difficult circumstances. They should be hugely proud of their achievements, and I thank them all for their hard work and commitment to the music department. Yvonne Fawbert Head of Music
YEAR 8 LEAVERS’ TRIP TO LAND AND WAVE
The first day involved a hearty breakfast, then we headed off to the limestone cliffs of the Isle of Purbeck and had a lot of fun in the area near Dancing Ledge climbing and coasteering. The children were on fantastic form and the sun shone all day. The evening provided a filling meal followed by outdoor sport. Then a big screen in the large tent for a chance to watch the England Euro match. The next day was woodland bushcraft day! Another fantastic day enjoyed by all in the forest making camps, cooking homemade donuts, firing arrows, lighting fires and playing manhunt. Tomorrow is woodland bushcraft day! Mr Folland joined us today for breakfast and has been running around the woods all day with us. We haven’t seen a cloud in the sky and we look forward to a healthy dinner followed by ‘slip-and-slide’ in the field this evening. The third day was on the water and a very energetic one at that. Paddle-boarding and raftbuilding were the main events with plenty of other fun and games going on. Pioneering and Night-Line in the offing, ‘slip-and-slide’ night and an evening of ‘Mini-Olympics’! Our last day was as full-on as any other day - we built great catapults which could fire things up to 100 yards at targets (which we’d also built). Knot-knowledge, team-building and leadership skills were heavily drawn upon. Then in the afternoon we blindly wandered around fields and forests with blackened out goggles acting on instructions and the noises around us all the while clambering over obstacles. Great fun and there were some strong lessons learned about trust and listening. The children have been incredibly active and busy and I’m somewhat in awe of what they’ve achieved both individually but also in their respective teams and as a year group. Leading not just the children but also the staff has been the irrepressibly energetic, magnificently organised and incredibly kind-spirited Mr Hamilton. He put hours, days and weeks into making sure that the trip went without a single hitch and maximised every minute of every day. Thanks to him (and your lovely children of course!), I had a fabulous week as well. Ian Adams Head of Mathematics Year 8 Form Tutor
YEAR 7 HISTORY TRIP TO YORKSHIRE YEAR 2 TRIP TO GORE FARM
The indomitable Year 7 launched themselves for a week up North, visiting the mills, canals, steam trains and heartlands of this, the global Industrial birthplace. As well as the enjoying a slice of Victorian working life, we also managed to sample the first mass holidays with a day trip to Scarborough for Fish and Chips and paddle in the sea. We squeezed in a day as Vikings in Yorvik and hiked to Mallam cove, then up the 300 steps to the top and the views. It is always a bonus to spend time with a year group, and this Year 7 were a joy: courteous, happy, full of energy and keen to learn. You could not ask for more from them. Exhausted and full of memories, we chugged back down the M1, historically satiated. Bravo Miss Gates and Year 7! Alistair Poulain Year 5 Form Tutor
We had a fantastic time at Gore Farm. The weather could not have been better while we spent the entire day in the forest using nature to inspire the activities. There was plenty to keep us busy, from mini beast hunts to raft building and lots of fantastic creations to be made. The children had a wonderful time making nature crowns, clay hedgehogs and natural wind mobiles. They also learnt about some of the trees and animals found in the forest and had a yummy picnic outside. The day was jam packed with fun and games! Lucy Roberts Year 2 Teacher
End of Year events Year 8 Leavers’ Trip to Land and Wave: A week camping on the Dorset Coast, climbing, coasteering, kayaking, paddle boarding, learning navigation skills and much more.
Year 7 History week in Yorkshire Nursery Concert Drama and Music Exams Year 2 into Year 3 Transition Day Year group Boarding Overnighters
Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights’ Dream Boarding weekend activities with additional flexi boarders
Summer Music concert in the marquee Pre Prep long awaited chick hatching Leavers’ Service in Sherborne Abbey Prize Giving with Guest speaker, Mr Ian
Pre Prep Soloist Concert
Davenport, former CEO of the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation and founder of the charity ‘Spring Forward’.
Art Exhibition – displaying pupils, parents and
Picnic Lunch in School Grounds, every parent
staff pieces
Year 2 visit to Gore Farm Camp Out Leavers’ Meal – presentation of Yearbook Morning motivation sessions for parents Year 8 performance to the school Sports Days for Pre Prep and Prep
Acreman Street | Sherborne | Dorset | DT9 3NY Tel: +44(0)1935 812097 | Email: info@sherborneprep.org www.sherborneprep.org
was sent picnic hamper (pictured below) to enjoy at home while watching the Prizegiving stream-lined.