Children’s Work

Pre-Prep Christmas

Pre-Prep had a wonderful day enjoying games and craft activities as part of their party day.

Each class enjoyed a range of fun activities. Reception played - stick the nose on Rudolf, pass the parcel, Christmas salad, musical chairs, and Christmas bingo. They also managed to fi t in a quick disco!

Year 1 played pass the parcel, musical statues, Christmas basket, they enjoyed dancing and reading a lovely selection of Christmas stories in the library.

Year 2 delighted in pin the nose, pass the parcel and sleeping lions. They also made snowfl akes and enjoyed craft activities.

In the afternoon, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 came together in their House groups for Christmas crown making. This was their fi rst ever House competition. The winner was… Murtough! All the crowns were amazing and proudly worn for Christmas lunch on Wednesday.

Kindy and Nursery had a wonderful time. They played pin the carrot on the snowman and they enjoyed a racing game using wind up Santas! They also had a disco with real fl ashing lights!

The children all wore such fantastic party clothes and there was an excellent selection of Christmas jumpers. On Wednesday, Mrs Wilson led the children on a wonderfully, wintry walk to work up an appetite before their Christmas lunch. The children were togged up against the winter chill as they strode down the drive with their teachers. The children (and maybe one or two members of staff!) found some puddles to jump in along the way.

The following week was equally packed full of festive fun! On Tuesday, Pre-Prep performed their nativity to a packed house of elderly guests from the local community. Following a high-energy and thoroughly festive performance of ‘Christmas Counts’ our visitors enjoyed a delicious tea in the Refectory as the Bridewell Choir sang carols.

On Thursday, Year 3 had a wonderful time singing Christmas carols at the Clockhouse. They made Christmas cards and handed them out to the elderly whilst chatting to them. It was wonderful to see the young and the ‘not so young’ all having a lovely time together. Mrs Peek and Mrs Miles were extremely proud of their behaviour and thought they all sang like angels.

On Wednesday, Kindy and Nursery visited the catering team in the refectory to decorate gingerbread biscuits for the tree. Andras and his team had made sweet smelling cookies and a stunning gingerbread house. The children were invited to ice and adorn them with chocolate buttons and sprinkles. Once dry, the biscuits hung on the tree for the whole school to admire.

Thank you to Andras, Ian, Sherri, AnneMarie and Alicja for a terrifi c, traditional turkey roast with all the trimmings. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their Christmas lunch. Thank you too, to all the staff for providing wonderful festive and fun experiences for the children throughout the end of term.

Recycling Theme Day

Pre-Prep enjoyed their ‘recycling’ theme day. Children from Nursery to Year 2 visited four sessions during the day - drama, singing, collaborative art and planting. Just before pick-up, parents joined the Pre-Prep children in Chapel for a special assembly about the day. The children loved showcasing what they had been up to. Thank you to all the staff for organising such a fabulous, and environmentally friendly day!

As Pre-Prep focused on ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, the Prep Department investigated sustainability in the food chain as they faced their very own ‘bushtucker trial’. Many of the children tried a variety of the insects on offer. No matter how unpalatable insects might seem, creepy crawlies such as silkworms, caterpillars, and crickets just might be a key source of protein in food and research suggests they also might be an important way to increase sustainability in the food chain.

Egg Parachute Challenge

Many congratulations to all the Barrow Hills engineers who took part in the ‘Egg Parachute Challenge’. Children were curious and joyful as they bravely tested their parachutes from Mr Oldroyd’s balcony during their DT lessons. This super fun scholarly STEAM challenge was the perfect way for the children to investigate different types of materials as they launched their eggs from over 14 feet above the paving. They also learned how forces and velocity work in science, combining this with creative design ideas, which were then constructed and evaluated. The children’s enthusiasm and support for every single design was particularly impressive. A credit was awarded to every child who took part in this challenge. Due to all of the innovative inventions, it was extremely diffi cult to select a winner from each Prep department.

Special mentions in Junior Prep:

For his creativity in using straws to cushion the landing - Hugo (3G) For his extensive research into parachutes as well as creating a brilliant booklet -

Max (4G)

For her detailed design process which highlighted potential problems as well as fi nding the solutions - Ottilie (4G) For her very unique use of an umbrella and coat hangers in the construction -

Cleo (4R)

The winner of The Entertainer voucher, for her very well constructed parachute that worked perfectly when tested: Xanthe (3R). What stood out the most about Xanthe’s project was the especially clever pipe thermal insulation cockpit for the egg.

Special mentions in Middle Prep:

For her innovative use of the chocolate orange box as the cockpit - Edith (5R) For her very neat drawings in the planning process - Lauren (5R) For his research into army parachutes and how they work - Edward (5G) For four successful drops without the egg cracking - Sophie (6G) and Erin (6R) For his research and testing of materials -

Jonah (6R)

And the winner of the sweets and £10 to spend at the Haslemere Sports Locker, for his very detailed plans which included the list of materials and the build dimensions: Gabriel (5G). Particularly impressive was Gabriel’s creativity in using popcorn in a paper bag as the cockpit.

orange box as the cockpit -

Jonah (6R) Special mentions in Upper Prep:

For his artistic design on the parachute -

Taylor (7G)

For his very well constructed parachute -

Oliver (7G)

For her brilliant use of materials and very well built parachute - Isobel (8G) For her very detailed design process -

Charlotte (8G)

For their excellent plans and impressively painted fi nish of the cockpit - James (8G) and Sascha (8G)

The winner of the £20 Haslemere Sports Locker Voucher, for his excellent planning and very well thought out additions such as using the pull tops of a can to hold his strings on the parachute: Alexander (8G). In addition to this, the parachute worked perfectly because of the parachute design.

Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had a wonderful time on Thursday 12th March. They all brought their teddy into school and took part in a teddy bears’ picnic. It was a lovely occasion and the sun shone! Thank you to Mr Oldroyd for joining us and to the kitchen staff for the super lunch. The children and their teddies enjoyed sandwiches, pom bears and teddy bear shaped biscuits.

Reception Best Bits!

Sophie I liked the trip to Wellington Country park and fi shing. Margeaux I liked playing outside with Sophie. Maxx I enjoyed forest school! Henry I have enjoyed playing in the playground with my friends, learning to write and forest school.

Poppy I liked making fl ower pictures Charlotte I liked building houses in the playground. Reuben I liked playing on the big screen. Eleanor I like doing art. Leopold I liked doing my writing and sentences.

Memories of Year 1

Thomas I like Mr Clarke because he is funny. Maths is fun, football is awesome.

Kit My highlight of Year 1 was playing hockey because I love sport.

Hermione My highlight of Year 1 was the teddy bears’ picnic because I got to bring my teddy into school. My teddy is called Army Bear and he is so fl uffy and warm. The best thing about him is that he loves me and I love him too.

Quintus I loved learning about the Titanic. We were shown some life jackets and learnt how they work and how important they are.

Hugo I liked outdoor classroom and Forest School the best and the Godalming Museum when we made paper hats.

Annabel My favourite part of Year 1 was playing netball because I love shooting hoops. Arthur I love maths and English, lunch and snack. I love lessons with Mrs Wilson. I love reading. I love writing. I love playing with my friends in the garden.

James I love writing things. I love art. I love playing on the bikes. I like having lunch outside.

Kiera I like making butterfl ies. I like doing maths. I like doing outdoor classroom with my friends and making dens.

Alexa I enjoyed playing with my friends in the garden and going on the bikes, it was great fun and I really enjoyed maths lessons. I liked painting my butterfl y it was fun and I enjoy outdoor classroom and the Pre-Prep playground.

Albie I love going to school. I love going out to break. I love looking around the classroom. I love sport, it is fun. I love playing out at break. I love going to delicious lunch. Christian My favourite part of the year was playing football because I enjoy sport.

Alex Barrow Hills is fab! I have lovely friends, the teachers are lovely and the lunches are yummy! I can’t choose one favourite thing, there are too many!

Esme My favourite part was art because I love drawing pictures.

Ophelia My favourite part of Year 1 was netball because I love sport.

Florence I loved painting my butterfl y in my art lesson. I loved outdoor classroom and I love Mr Clarke, he is good at teaching but Mrs Crisell is better.

Felix My favourite part of Year 1 was that Santa came to visit because I love Christmas.

Year 1 Fruit Picking

Year 1 had a wonderful time picking raspberries and blackberries with Mr Gaszka. The children took them home to enjoy with their families.

Year 1 Titanic Box

Year 1 had a fantastic afternoon exploring the Titanic box from the Godalming Museum as part of their topic work.

They loved listening to the story of Polar the Titanic Bear. They remembered a great deal of new vocabulary and really impressed Mrs Crisell with their enthusiasm.

Year 2’s Favourite Memories of Pre-Prep

Mateo I liked the castle topic because I was a knight. When I had my birthday I went to air hop and in the foam pit I did a back flip. At Forest School I was swinging like lightening back and forth. When I started Judo I was as good as the Year 4s.

Delilah In Kindy I liked learning my sounds of the week and I liked going to music and most of all I liked learning. In Reception I liked doing arts and crafts and I liked ballet. In Year 1 I liked sports day and I liked swimming. In Year 2 I liked playing with my friends and I liked going outside. I liked PE and learning.

Beatrice My favourite thing in school is my friends and the lessons. I also enjoy music and games. I love my teachers! Music is so fun because we sing really fun songs. My favourite song is Songbird. I like to do sport in the garden. My favourite sport I play at school is hockey. I like hockey because I like the team effort and spirit. I liked playing in the gardens. We play really funny games. I think the woods at school are so fun to play in.

Thomas B I liked school trips and swimming and PE and maths. I also like my friends and the teachers. Reception was amazing!

Ellis I loved my time in Pre-Prep. I loved making King Tut’s mask and I liked my Gaudi inspired art. My favourite year was Year 2.

Maxi I started in Reception and it was fantastic. I saw my friend Thomas and he was my best friend from my old school. My favourite thing was school trips as I enjoyed the lunches. I also liked PE because I had fun. I also liked swimming because I can jump off the floor and it is so fun. My last thing is break time because I can play.

Edward I went to Forest School and it was amazing. I went and had marshmallows. In Reception I met George. I went up to him and we became BFFs. In half term me and George had a sleepover. We played games and had fun. Once it snowed so much we had a Friday off. I went to Portsmouth on a school trip and saw what’s left of the Mary Rose. It was brilliant.

Laura My favourite thing about Pre-Prep was going into Year 1 and making even more friends with everyone.

Ethan K I liked playing on the climbing frame and doing epic falls. We kept on finding out new ones and swinging on the monkey bars. Me and Mateo were on the climbing wall and scared each other and fell off on to our feet. I liked the swing in Forest School and I jumped off the swing. We made a den and then Year 1 attacked. Kit My favourite time in Pre-Prep was swimming because I really like it!

Thomas N My favourite topic was Egypt because of the quiz at school. My favourite teacher is Mrs Crisell. My favourite school topic was Titanic.

Anthony My favourite things were doing swimming especially at the end deep end and I also I liked going to the museum and looking at the Titanic. I also went to Edward’s house and played chase and made a pillow fortress.

George When I joined the school there was a shy boy called Edward. So I went over to him and had a chat. The next day I got stuck on a letter and he helped me and we became the best of friends. Eds and me had a sleep over. We got a bunch of snacks. Eds lost Ted but we found him. One Forest School I found a tree that looked like a spaceship. We hid in it and I told my friends to come. I was under attack by the Year 1s and I hid in the Year 2 base.

Alec I had a taster day in Kindy. I dressed up and played in the sand pit and also played in the castle. It was so much fun.

Ethan S My favourite time in Pre-Prep was swimming. I liked playing outside and I like playing on the bikes.

Elliot In Kindy I had good food and we played outside. In Reception I did lots of school trips and learned lots. We played on slides and my best friends played with me. I started Club and swimming. In Year 1 I did topics like Titanic and castles and the Victorians. I did music lessons. My best time was the trip to Porchester Castle. Year 2 topics were my favourites. We learned about Egyptians and had lots of fun on the climbing frame.

Rosie My favourite thing is school trips because they are so interesting and fun. My second thing is golden time because I can play with all my friends. My third favourite thing is lunch because I love the food that the lunch ladies make us.

Stop Press! Dinosaur Remains Discovered at Barrow Hills School!

A group of very well-known palaeontologists in Year 3 discovered the remains of dinosaurs in the grounds of the school!

The dinosaurs, affectionately named ‘Bob’ and ‘Oscar’ resided for a while in the Thomas More Centre where the keen scientists worked on them. It is believed that ‘Bob’ was the remains of a plesiosaur, a long necked marine reptile that resided some 215 million to 80 million years ago.

The children also beavered away manipulating recycled materials to construct further animal skeletons, namely - Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Pterodactyl and lastly, a Stegosaurus!

Dr Weeks was quoted as saying “it is the fi nd of the century and we are all very excited at the discovery. The remains will be on show from Monday 20th January”.

Year 4 Iron Men

In the spring term, Year 4 children read ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes: Where had he come from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows. As well as drawing and writing instructions for how to capture an iron man, writing a menu for the iron man and a newspaper article about the arrival of a space bat angel dragon on earth, the children were given the task of creating their own iron man over half term. The teachers were very impressed with their creations and all the different D.T. skills used as well. Thank you parents for your help too!

Year 4 Persuasive Letters

Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY

5th June 2020

Dear Mr Oldroyd,

I’m writing to you because I think it is possible to take year 4 on a trip to the beach without spending too much school money. Also, I know you are the kindest and cleverest headmaster Barrow Hills has ever had and someone with all those qualities would surely take hard working year 4 to the beach?

Moreover, it would teach us about structural engineering e.g. sand castles and teach us about geography e.g. the coast line. Furthermore, it would teach us about biology e.g. seaweed and rock pool creatures, and paleontology e.g. fossils.

Besides, when we go back to school it would have raised our morale. Similarly, we would feel so happy to have been to the beach and you can feel happy because you made this happen for us and made us feel this way. To have this chance would be marvellous, don’t you think? Wouldn’t it be lovely to go to the beach on a sunny day? It would be such a lovely memory and so much fun. FInally, we would like you to come along too and you could also bring Amber and Toby, it would be good exercise for them and they would enjoy the sand and the sea. In brief, year 4 would like to go to the beach, I think we have earned it and we would like you to join us. I hope you look at my letter positively and thank you for reading this. I hope that you will agree with what I have said. Yours sincerely Max HD

Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY 5th June 2020

Dear Mr Oldroyd, I hope it’s a good time to write to you about a possible year 4 trip to the beach. Year 4 as you know has worked exceptionally well during these tough times, so this could maybe be a reward for being so good to our parents ? It could also be a good chance to see each other in person instead of on video chat after a long time apart. So many people agree that you are the best headmaster that has ever been headteacher at our school. Plus going to the beach will help tourism in West Wittering and help some of the shops. It would be delightful if you would agree, in fact it would be like jumping into a rainbow, sliding down and instead of gold in the pot it would be fi lled with sweets and you got to eat them all ! However I think we properly deserve a reward, do you think we do? Please agree as I could maybe have the time of my life also I really need a boost of energy and going to the beach might start me off. The trip to the beach would be tremendous, extraordinary and joyous. Thank you for reading my letter, I hope you can make this possible!

Yours sincerely

Jacob

Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY 5th June 2020

Dear Mr Oldroyd, I am writing this letter to you because I want to organsie a trip to the beach, with your help. As everyone knows, you are the best headmaster the school ever had, so I am sure that you will agree with me. It will be a good idea because everyone would like some fresh air after all these months in lockdown. After all this time at home, without seeing our friends or teachers, I think we all deserve a trip, especially after missing PGL. In addition, we all miss our teachers so it will be great for us to see everyone again. If you agree to this, I will feel so happy thanks to you and you will only have happy pupils. A trip to the beach will be amazing, something I will never forget. Don’t you think that after this lockdown, away from everyone, we deserve such a nice trip? Please I hope you will agree with me, it will be amazing. Thank you for reading my letter and your attention. I hope you will agree with me and the reasons I gave you.

Yours sincerely

Ilana Headmaster Barrow Hills School Roke Lane Witley Surrey GU8 5NY

5th June 2020 Dear Mr Oldroyd, I hope you don’t mind me writing to you about a possible year 4 trip to the West Witterings beach. We all agree that you are the best and kindest headmaster the school has ever had and we are so glad that you have joined our school.

Year 4 has been working really really hard over homeschooling and we think we deserve a trip to the beach.

In addition Charlie will take some pictures for the Friday letter.

If we went I would be delighted and so happy the beach is a lovely place to play and swim even though the water will be icy cold.

If we go to the beach it will be such an incredible and spectacular time because we will play in the sand and build sand castles. Most of all we will feel refreshed and ready for more hard learning. We have been working so hard so don’t you think we should have a break? We have not seen our school friends for a while and this will be a memorable trip. Most of all our parents need a break as well. Thank you for reading my letter.I hope you say yes because it will be a lovely day at the beach. Yours sincerely Timotheos

Year 4 Sound Collector Poems

Sports Day by Cleo (4R)

The colossal crowd was cheering extremely loud, As energetic children raced around and around, And little children started to dangerously bounce and bound. A piercing whistle started the race, Whilst other children hurriedly slurped water back at base, And feet stomped all over the vast place. A loud bang happened and it hurt my ear, It shattered glass and I could hear, A stampede of children growing near. Excited dogs barking and yapping, Other people, vigorously clapping, When will the sounds cease to happen? Sounds washed around me as I raced around the track, And not once, did I look back, At the colossal crowd cheering extremely loud, As I raced around and around and around.

Sports Day Poem by Ottilie (4G)

My heart was thumping As shoes were bumping! Exhilarated parents clapped, shiny medals clinked As children were lapped Shot puts thrown like a balloon being blown. Dogs barked as tracks were marked! Javelins thrown as the sound of guns had grown. Children tripped, as water bottles were sipped. Everybody did their best. It’s time for a drink, and a relaxing rest.

Birdfeeders

Year 5 thoroughly enjoyed creating the tacky, lardy, seed fi lled concoction they moulded to make delicious concoctions for the birds!

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

On Tuesday 19th November, Year 5 celebrated the end of their Mad Hatter’s project with a tea party in the refectory. There were sandwiches, veggie sticks and cakes for all to enjoy. Everyone had great fun celebrating the amazing hats that had made been made and watched a clip of the tea party from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to get into a celebratory mood. Thank you to all the parents and siblings who attended.

Year 6 Creative Writing

Elves

There are three types of Elves, one you probably know every well, Santa’s Elves. They are joyful creatures and have nimble hands so they easily craft Santa’s toys. The other two you might not have heard of. They used to be one of the same tribe but sadly the tribe split apart. It is my duty to tell you how this came to pass but first let me take you back 100 years ago when the tribe’s alliance was strong. The Elves lived as one in a lovely village, the village of Harrosprack, where children ran laughing and playing. The flowers would blossom, fresh grass grew over the mountains, rivers and waterfalls flowing with fresh water and lambs were trotting over fields. All was peaceful but not perfect. One day a group of farmers went into a cave, they ventured deep until something caught their eye. It was a bright light glistening through the rocky cave. They cautiously stepped towards the glow. They had to move a pile of stones out of the way but there buried underneath stood a fiery bright stone it looked as big and hot as a meteor but it shone bright blue. One of the farmers picked up the stone they all gazed at it in wonder, they were mesmerised by it. The farmers, still good of heart, took it to the Elf King who took charge over the stone and held it safe in his castle. Over time the Elves grew greedy as their thoughts kept returning to the stone, they thought they could sell it to the ogres. The greedy Elves grew strong in numbers and one night set fire to the castle and slaughtered the King. The Kings guards were not prepared for what happened and could not defeat them. The stone was taken and sold to the ogres. No one in the Kingdom was prepared for what happened that night and the Kingdom grew angry and became divided.

100 years later fresh hope spread through the forest. A wise Elf had a premonition of a newborn girl in the Kingdom of Harrosprack who would once again build an alliance of the Elf tribes. The wise Elf kept himself tucked away in a cottage on a field. He had many premonitions but this one I am pleased to tell you did in fact come true. A girl born with adventure, spirit and courage. Born with a strong heart, the wise Elf knew this was the girl the moment she was born. He kept an eye on her as she grew up. Her name was a traditional Elf name, Illinta.

Illinta loved to explore the forest. When she turned fifteen she was visited by the elderly Elf, he knew her favourite place to explore was the forest, so he slowly paced the forest until he found her hanging from a tree. The wise elf simply sat down near by a rock. Illinta watched him with great curiosity. No one besides her came to this part of the forest. It was too close to the other Kingdom. Illinta sat on the stone next to the old Elf and introduced herself. She asked him his name and he told her, Hernta. They started talking and he asked Illinta if she knew anything of the other Kingdom, the Kingdom of Randaw. Illinta knew a bit but was eager to know more. No one ever mentioned the Kingdom of Randaw so she figured she could ask him more questions about Randaw. Hernta found her quite amusing and he asked her if she would like to go to his cottage for bark cake and tree sap, elvish food and drink to you and me. He also mentioned that he had books about the history of Randaw. Illinta excitedly agreed and accepted his invitation. They walked up the hill to his cottage which was very small. Vines had grown on the walls of the cottage and there was a stubby oak front door. The inside was very messy and cluttered, he had many things Illinta had never seen before. Hernta rushed off and came back with lots of books. He handed them to Illinta. She stumbled a bit as the books were very heavy. She put them down on one of the chairs and watched as Hernta went into what seemed to be the kitchen. The books were very old and quite dusty, she gently turned the leaves of the book, studying it with great satisfaction and curiosity. She learnt so much about Randaw and about the tribes splitting and of other Kingdoms like the Goblins, Ogres and the Dwarfs. Hernta came back into the room. Illinta gazed at the books, gobsmacked. As soon as Hernta sat down he was hit with a wall of questions, “slow down, slow down”, Hernta chuckled. “Someone will need to unite the Kingdoms” Illinta said. “Yes, yes you are right” Hernta replied quietly as if he was thinking about what he was saying. He quickly broke away from his thinking, he asked Illinta if she would be interested in helping to unite the Kingdoms. Illinta shouted “Yes Yes Yes!!”. Hernta warned her it could be dangerous but that didn’t change Illinta’s mind, Hernta gave her the books and told her to visit tomorrow. As she was leaving he said “don’t tell anyone about this, not now”, “OK” Illinta replied while sprinting down the hill jumping and spinning as she went. Hernta shut the door and sat down chuckling to himself, I knew she was the right one.

Matilda (6G)

Sea Turtle Began

Sea Turtle began He took the call of the heavens He took the munching of leaves For his voice.

For his shell He took the pattern of a labyrinth The hardness of a boulder He took the beauty of a picture.

From the beach He took the silence of sand He took the ripple of waves For his walk.

Then at the reef Sea turtle took the colourful pieces of coral He took the blue of the ocean For his eyes.

Strength and swiftness Went into his flippers And for their shape he took the shape of a fishing hook

And Sea Turtle was made.

Back in Time

This story begins in the museum where a girl named Emma goes for a look around.

At the far end of the museum, Emma saw her dad in a glass box. She wondered why her dad was in a glass box. Emma started to panic a little. She wanted to wake up from this terrible dream but she couldn’t. She started to touch the glass box but she had quite a fright of what was coming next.

But when all the swirling and spinning stopped, she started to realise what period of time they were in. She started to panic again. Her palms started to sweat. Emma was doing all of this because Emma and her dad were in Ancient Egypt. After she calmed down, Emma and her dad went for a little look around but not for too long because they didn’t want to get caught because if they got caught, then they would be put to work. The slaves that were already there got whipped. It was a really terrible sight to see.

But when they were getting back to camp, there were guards starting to follow them. Emma had started to panic again but dad said, “Calm down it’s ok.” So Emma started to calm down. The guards took them as prisoners.

The next morning, the guards worked them so hard they got whipped. Dad and Emma were feeling angry and in pain. Dad was thinking of how to get out of Ancient Egypt. So when the guards went to bed, they both escaped and got back to their time machine and they got back to the museum. Turns out, it was just a really terrifying dream.

Emma (6R)

Time Slip Story

Hi I am Lily, I am going to tell you about my grandad’s magic library. One grey and miserable day, I found out that my grandad had a library. So I shuffled in carefully in case there were any rats or mice but there weren’t any. So I decided that I was going to read about the horrible and tragic medieval times. I was going to read about the medieval time because we were learning about it at school. The library was beautiful it had antique gloss bookshelves and smelt musty and old.

I found an old dusty book about the measly middle ages. I slowly sat down and perched on a rustic old stool with three wobbly legs. I carefully opened the book, I was ready to be indulged in a book. The writing inside the book was small and very curly. Suddenly there was a strong gust of wind, it made me jump because there were no windows in the library. The library was just a box room with four tall bookcases. The gust of wind got me thinking what was going to happen next. I hadn’t realised that when the wind struck the room the interesting book that I had been reading had changed pages. I looked at the detailed picture of the medieval house with the plague and suddenly I saw white then started spinning around, then bang I fell onto the ground.

My back was sore, I had a horrible headache. I opened my eyes slowly, expecting to see the old library. But what I saw was very different. I was lying in an old rotting bed, looking up at a ceiling of thick oak beams. Suddenly I heard someone call my name. The voice was not my grandad’s voice but the voice of a lady very ill and croaky. Who was it? I thought.

I sat bolt upright. Looked around me, I was surrounded by old clothes hanging onto a thread bare string. In the corner was a wooden chest with a rugged jug that had not even been glossed. Suddenly I saw the old lady poking her head through some dry decayed banisters. Her face was pale and covered in boils. Her clothes were covered in blood and ripped in most places. I felt sorry for the poor lady. Suddenly it clicked that I was in the Middle Ages. would get better but it got ten times worse. The street was narrow and noisy. The noise was church bells and the calls of people’s sad and tired voices as they called through the streets of London trying to earn money for their family to be able to have a meal. The air was full of smoke and very unclean. As I walked past houses I saw about ten people in each room and they all had horrid symptoms of the plague which are things like vomiting and having huge boils on their face or under their armpits. When I passed one particular house I saw something horrible. It was a man in a huge suit and he had a big mask with a beak stuffed to the brim with herbs so he would not catch the plague. These people are supposedly doctors but they charge lots of money and just pop boils and make up fake treatments so they can get money. But of course no one could catch them because they did not know what they looked like.

I knew I needed to get home but I did not know how. So I put myself back into the moment that I was dragged into the middle ages. After about five minutes of thinking I had it, I had to travel back to the old medieval house and find the book sit in the bed and read it. I ran back to the house but as I was running back I found it extremely hard to concentrate as everyone was looking at me because I was wearing modern clothes. But that did not stop me from getting back to the house because I knew if I wasn’t quick enough then I might catch the plague and that would be very bad because then I would bring the very unpleasant disease to 2014 which would be an absolute disaster. Also I would feel guilty if I stayed alive. When I arrived back at the house I sprinted up the stairs as fast as I could, grabbed the book and sat on the bed hoping that it would work. Suddenly I saw white just as I had done before then started to spin then landed back on the stool with the book in my hand.

It was good to be back at home. The first thing I did was run out of the library and go and tell my family but none of them believed a word I said. It left me thinking, had it been a dream? Or had it actually happened?

Year 7 Creative Writing

The Bathroom

“You can stay here but please, I beg you, don’t go to the bathroom in the room” said the man with the broken glasses.

“Why not?” I asked.

“It’s haunted.” Said the man with the broken glasses. I agreed then got my bags, and went up the spiral staircase. When I got up there, my room was a couple of metres away. I walked carefully thinking about what the man with the broken glasses had said. I put my hand on the rusty old door handle and walked in hesitantly. I put my bags down on the green carpet, and then I saw the door to the bathroom. I couldn’t move. I was stuck in fear. Eventually, I calmed myself down but I couldn’t stop thinking about the bathroom. So I tip toed very carefully to the bathroom door, I put my hand on the black door handle and opened it.

I walked in peering around just in case something popped out. The room didn’t look too bad, I thought to myself it was a normal bathroom. It had candles, windows and a toilet but then out of nowhere the door locked. I tried opening it but there was no point, the door was not opening. Suddenly a shadow appeared and swiped one of the candles out. I quickly ran and relit the candle with a match. Then another shadow came, this time it took out three of the five candles. My heart was beating really fast now, I got another match out of my back pocket and relit the three candles. Then the shadow sounded like it was screaming. I waited for the shadow to come back, I got my matches ready. Then the shadow got all of the five candles, I couldn’t see a thing. I tried to light a candle but I tripped and hit my head.

I woke up with the man with the broken glasses.

“What happened?” I said to the man with the broken glasses.

“I found you in the bathroom on the floor, I think you got knocked out.”

“Thank you for getting me,” I said to the man.

“I won’t go back in that haunted room again.”

Cade (7G)

The Bathroom

We arrived at the massive stately home. The drive full of pebbles was as long as the river Clyde and the house was the size of Cheltenham. A classy car slept lazily on a pond of pebbles and a flag with a coat of arms flew overhead. The cosmic sky towered over the house like a big shadow. As the butler welcomed us into the ancient house, I noticed a miniscule light flickering in a window above. That was quite unnerving.

It was seven o’clock when the feast was laden across the table like market stalls. The fabulous feast had a selection of tender meats and there were a host of vegetables and cakes, biscuits, cheeses and a puny mint imperial resting on a grey and burgundy napkin. The stupendous collection of guests sat either side of the table and piled the food vigorously on to their plates.

“Mother?” I asked “Do you know where the lavatory is?” As I said this, I mimicked Lord Humpherey who was wearing an incredible black suit.

“I think it is down the corridor and up the stairs. Turn right and it is the second door on the left,” answered mother. “Thanks!” I exclaimed as I raced out of the colossal dining hall.

The corridor had a bountiful amount of porcelain statues and beautiful paintings hung on the walls. They contained vivid colours and reminded me of my sister’s artwork. I made my way up the stairs and noticed a picturesque pattern that reached the summit of the staircase. The first floor was rather barren and plain. I strolled towards the bathroom, I slowly opened the door. The creaking made me notice the eerie atmosphere of the building. I stuttered into the dark abyss of the room. A candle in a sconce flickered and provided light to help me see where I was going. I heard something scuttle in the bathtub. I was petrified. I walked on the clean albescent tiles and washed my hands. I stared into the mirror, I blinked. Stood behind me was a small, round figure. An icy, deafening silence hung in the air like sheets. I felt the fear tremble around me like the devil. I turned around to see the small figure had vanished. I continued to wash my hands and again noticed the small, round figure closer to me and had a forlorn face. I turned around to see the small, round figure had vanished. When I turned to dry my hands, I felt a cold, elongated finger touching my neck. I abruptly dashed out of the bathroom feeling a bitter wind slap my face. I ran down the barren corridor. I continued to run from the summit of the staircase and descending to the foot of the staircase. I hardly noticed the bountiful amount of porcelain statues, or, the paintings on the wall, which contained vivid colours and reminded me of my sister’s artwork. I quickly opened the door and calmed down. I was safe.

When a second child went to the bathroom, they appeared to be just as flustered as I was. An army of others (all adults) looked as bright as day after they had spent a penny. I wondered. After a period of thinking, I came to a conclusion. The biggest fear is fear itself.

Barnaby (7G)

I slumped down on a chair, knees curled up to my chest and my head held low. Magaret said this would be the most memorable party of the year because it was her grandma’s old holiday home but it really wasn’t. She had antique furniture which was covered in so much dust that you couldn’t see what colour it was. The carpets smelt of rotten potatoes and if you were standing near one for too long the potato smell would swirl around your face, making you pass out. Everyone at the party looked as unimpressed as me but I felt sorry for our party host, Magaret, so I announced a game of ‘hide and seek’ as her grans holiday house was big it would make a perfect setting for the game and make everyone else amused and more happy to be there.

Magaret said that she would start by counting because she knew all the nooks and crannies and said that she would be able to find everyone in under ten minutes. We all ran out of the grand living room and split up. Some went to my left and some went to my right but I was the only one who went upstairs. Every so often I would look behind me to see if anyone was following me as I belted up the rickety stairs. Every time I came to a new corridor I went round every room but there were no decent places to hide. Finally I got to what seemed like the top floor which was remarkably darker than the others. Once again, I surveyed all the rooms until I was perfectly satisfied with a room named Tuo Yats which seemed to me like quite a funny name for a room in a holiday house.

I stepped inside the room quietly as I heard a bunch of girls reach the second floor. I looked around the room to see if I could find a good place to hide. Over to one side of the room was an old wardrobe facing the window. I opened the closet and took out a couple of bed sheets and towels and I was able to fit.

As soon as I closed the wardrobe door, the lights flickered on inside the wardrobe. I was shocked. This house looked like it could collapse any second and looked like the ancient romans could have built it but yet they still had a light in an old rickety cupboard. I couldn’t pinpoint where the light was coming from but it was terribly bright compared to the darkness of the room outside. Suddenly I spotted a doll on the other side of the wardrobe. It looked like it had been in there for centuries because its once crimped hair was now tangled together almost as if it was in a ponytail. It’s eyes were missing and the doll had lost a finger. The lights went out. It took my eyes a while to adjust to the darkness and then they flickered back on again. I looked back at the doll and realised it was no longer leaning against the wall, it was sitting perfectly upright. I moved my body further away until it was backing against the wall. The dolls hollow eyes seemed to be staring right into my soul making me freeze with fear. The lights went out again but this time I felt a cold sensation trickle down my spine. The hidden bulb came on again and the doll was right in front of me, I heard my friends calling me from down stairs I screamed and ran out of the closet not daring to look back. In a rush I tripped and fell down the stairs and the rest was a blur. I woke up with my friends leaning over me. What just happened? I sat up and clutched my leg. A cold red fluid trickled down my legs. I gasped.

Pheobe (7G)

Save Teddy

Good Morning Year 7 and vet. Today I am here to try and save my beloved dog Teddy who has fought through this horrible virus and has made it this far, why should you stop him now?

Teddy was found in a burning flat in London and had passed out on the floor. Everyone thought he wouldn’t make it but Teddy is a fighter and always has been and never gave up. His owners were an old couple and unfortunately did not make it out alive. So Teddy was taken to a rescue centre and that was where we found him. He seemed petrified and was curled up in a little ball of fluff in the corner of his cage and we could tell he didn’t like the rescue centre so we adopted him and now, thinking back to when we saw him in that cage, he is a totally different dog. To my surprise, Teddy and our fluffy black cat Bilbo (who was also a rescue) have become best friends.

My once lively and fun puppy is going to die because of this tragic virus and I can’t do anything to help him. He was there when my gran was sick with cancer and there when she went through chemo. He was there when my dad was always away fighting in Afghanistan. He was there whenever I needed him so please don’t let my innocent little dog die because I couldn’t help him after all he has done to me.

So listen and hear me now if you went through all of that to just end up dying from a virus that you could be saved from, what was the point? Please help.

Thank you.

Phoebe (7G)

“Don’t go in!” Libby whispered to me. “I have no choice”, I said. “You know what Ben’s like, he won’t let anything stop me from getting the fright of my life after what happened last year.” “Let me go with you” protested Libby. “No Libby, I’ll be fine, if this is what I have to do to prove I am no coward, then this is what I will do.” Libby stopped speaking as she knew that if this argument had carried on, I would have won it anyway. There was no harm going into an abandoned history classroom. How different could it be to my classroom? “Go on then!” shouted Ben, I heard a couple of his friends make a ghost sound behind him. Without hesitating, I went straight down the corridor. Every step I took I could hear the floorboards creaking. I looked behind me to see if everyone was still there, Libby looked spectral. After I had slowly crept to the end of the corridor, I came upon a door I read the tangible, but rusty sign. I read out “history”. It was engraved into a golden looking plaque. I entered the old history room and a waft of sour cream was lifted up to my nose. Everything was brown in a variety of shades: walls, floor, desks, chairs and window frames. The carpet floor felt damp in areas close to the walls. The walls were stained a coffee colour and the ceiling had been painted in an ivory colour. The room was cold as one of the windows was smashed and there was an area on the floor filled with sharp shards of glass. As I looked around the room I had noticed that quite a few of the desks weren’t standing at all. The wood that the chairs were made out of were rotting away, all the furniture in this was very unsafe. History was never my favourite lesson because of the wars. Talking about the war was horrible, picturing all the gunshots, wounded men, bombs, fires, families never seeing each other again, I considered myself to be very lucky and I went pallid at the thought of it all. The ripped curtains had suddenly started to move in time with the wind, they startled me so much that I had tripped and fallen over one of the rotten chairs. As I tripped over the seat I felt the chair leg snap underneath me. I quickly got back up off the broken school chair and I had tried to act as if nothing had happened. I looked towards the wall by the lockers that were also very rusty and saw a picture of some of the men that fought in World War Two. There were facts spread around the wall all about the war and my head started spinning as I looked around the whole room to see pictures of injured men, the trenches, nurses rushing in the hospital to help them. I hadn’t noticed these photos and facts on the wall, It was almost as if all of these pictures of people had just appeared. My mind was spinning even more and the chairs were doing pirouettes and my hand rubbed against something that felt like chalk. I could hear nails scratching along blackboards. Creak... Creak... Creak... The window was howling. The pictures of the full length soldiers were standing and staring right through me. I felt a chill down my spine. I looked back towards the lockers where I had first seen the photos of the war and the lockers started to creak and open. Slowly they opened. Suddenly… SLAM! The miniature doors had slammed themselves shut. I remembered the corridor I had walked along to get to this abandoned classroom. I could hear it happening again. The floorboards. The creaking. I panicked. I ran straight into the corner of the room that had no photos. The floors were wet and the paint on the coffee table coloured stained wall smelt disgusting. The creaking on the floor boards was getting louder and louder. At this point I had curled myself into a ball and was hidden away and completely unseeable unless you looked closely. I had blocked my ears. Covered my eyes and had no sense. Then my mind was blank. I woke up in the same corner in the classroom. Libby was standing over me like a giant. She was shaking my shoulders roughly. I tried to remember everything that had been going on in my mind, yet everything was blank. I need to get out of that classroom fast. Before it all happens again. Jessica (7G)

Year 8 Creative Writing

Frankenstein Writing

The weather is mad, raindrops punch the glass like a swinging fist. The open sky is suffocated by gripping hands with a greying cloth that smothers and disguises the fearful victim that is the sky. Spires penetrate the eerie breath of the fog, and the voice of the wind howls in pain. As I turn back to the table, all I can say is failure. Much like the weather, my heart is greying along with my hair. Never did I know how heavy stress is. It is much like a weight that can never be dropped. A lie that can never be overridden, a problem that can never be solved... a life that can never be taken back. It twitched! I do not believe my eyes are at fault! I saw its bony fingers spread and clench into a fist. My heart is beating like a parade drum, salty sweat lines my brow. And that’s when I see it. His dry eyelids open and with an instant, his beady eye pierces mine. We lock eyes, I do not move. I do not dare move. For I do not know what will happen next. His yellow skin stretched over those malnourished muscles and those thin bones. His greasy black hair that sprouts from scarred scalp. He sits up. Then onto his feet. A step, another, one more. He reaches up, a hand towards my face. It jerks as if the muscles are only just learning to move. It opens its mouth. To speak? What I hear is not a voice. A gargling grunt with a convulsing tongue. Saliva drips from his cracked lips as his breathing gets heavy. He lets out a loud moan followed by a sharp breath and a droning murmur. His legs begin to shake, he falls to the ground with a yelp in pain. I pull my utensil table towards me. I lift it to my knee and drop it on the monster. It lets out a wail. I begin to feel movement come back to my legs. And within an instant, I am out of the lab, leaving everything as it was. What have I done? As I run under the bridge, the rain whips my face. My hair drips and my nose is red from the rushing wind. My breath is staggered and tears fill my eyes. I try not to scream out in terror. Paranoid, I look behind me. Again and again and again. For I do believe that thing is close behind me. With his jerking hand reaching out towards me. Its beady eye watching. Fraser (8G)