Autumn Term Newsletter | 2022

From the Headmaster

It is always a feature of our Friday morning assemblies, that children are encouraged to take part and contribute. A couple of weeks ago, as the end of term approached, I asked them to volunteer some of the things they had accomplished or taken part in this term. The result was something of an eager Mexican wave and we could have used the assembly in its entirety on this alone! I then explained that it was not surprising that many felt tired as they had all done a huge amount; they probably also didn’t even remember some of the things they had done earlier in the term when it was still light and warm.

Of course, much has been achieved in the classroom and we remain academically ambitious for the children. For example, this term, Year 8 listened to Frederick Naftel who provoked thought and discussion on antisemitism and prejudice; I was struck by how well they dealt with this difficult and challenging topic, even identifying the need to cover such subjects.

I hope you will enjoy reading about many of the children’s activities and achievements outside the classroom which complement your children’s academic experience at DH. One of the major events this term was the Year 7 Business Enterprise project, which features in detail on pages 6 - 7. I have been so impressed by this group, and the way in which the project as a whole has developed hugely since our first appearance at Arundel Farmers’ Market in the summer of 2021. The children really worked as a team and recognised their own strengths and interests throughout the process. It was fantastic to see the group interacting with the general public on the day; they really made very effective salespeople. One lady said to me as she walked away: “Well, I have just been very pleasantly fleeced; they could sell coals to Newcastle!”

I believe that this project, together with our programme of careers talks for the prep school, can really sow the seeds of interest in paths our pupils may wish to follow in life, and we certainly strive to broaden their horizons.

Many of you will have enjoyed watching your children’s classes in their informal concerts this term and it is always good to see how children grow in confidence during these events as they progress through the school.

We cannot report on all the occasions when children stand up and present or perform in front of others, but it is routine – from Reception children showing their skills on the interactive whiteboard in the classroom to older children speaking in assembly or reading in church.

You can keep up-to-date on the many day-to-day events and successes via our Facebook page which we post on several times each week.

One thing which always amazes me about the staff here is their creativity and the ways in which they make learning fun and relevant for your children. This starts with Reception where children have, this term, earned their superhero licences!

We are all grateful to the PA for donations towards an end of term staff party and as I write this, we are looking forward to the first chance for us all to be together since 2019. The PA have also funded the purchase of a large Tipi which has been put up in the woods and will form the initial stage of the development of our enhanced outdoor learning environment. We are consulting with some highly creative experts in this area to draw up some very exciting longerterm plans and we will be reporting on these in due course. In Years 7 and 8, we encourage the children to learn from their peers and this term, we welcomed a group of Hurst pupils from Y11 – 13. They ran various sessions, from how to structure and write an email to how to put events into calendars. They also looked at OneNote, SharePoint and other different platforms. Whilst our pupils cover some of this in school, these were practical workshops, from a pupil’s perspective, which addressed the ways in which technology will be used in their senior schools.

My dissertation at university was around ‘changes in selfconcept during outdoor education courses’. It was clear from my research that improvement in how young people perceive themselves is marked during and at the end of such adventurous training. If I were to study this area again however, it would be to seehow long this effect lasts for and most importantly, how to maintain it. I believe that the micro-opportunities and experiences we give your children, do this alongside the more major events within our leadership programme.

I am proud of the fact that we are preparing children so well for life at senior school and beyond and it has been great to hear of last year’s leavers and the progress they have made as they enter Year 9. As you may know, they moved on to a wide range of senior schools – both locally and far afield. Some are boarding and some are day pupils, but they are all making their mark and taking full advantage of what is on offer.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Matt Thomas

PSHEE

WhatisPSHEE?

Most of PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) became statutory in September 2020 under the Children and Social Work Act.

The Act introduced compulsory Relationships Education in primary schools and compulsory Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in secondary schools (i.e. from Year 7). Health Education (both mental and physical) became statutory from Key Stages 1 to 4. This brought all schools more in line with independent schools who were already required to teach PSHEE.

At DH, these areas have long been covered in many different areas of school life including at assemblies, during Form Time and within individual subjects. Our Leadership programme is a very important part of the whole, as are visits from outside speakers.

As a family school, we value the home/school partnership and areas where this is probably most important are those covered by PSHEE.

It is for this reason that we invite experts to come and speak to children and parents on these topics.

Laura White from `It Happens’ visited us for the second time this year and was building on the work she did with the children last term. She spends a great deal of time talking to Laura Hutchings in order to ensure that the tone and content of her talks is suitable for DH children.

During her talk for parents, she discussed how these topics were covered in the past and how often there were embarrassing or negative conversations with abstract analogies being used. This form of education was, on the whole, a case of too little, too late, too scientific or nonexistent

Her focus is on empowering children to make good choices, including around consent.

Evidence and data are used to establish facts and to help children to spot reliable or unreliable information and `fake news’.

The `Everyone’s Invited’ website precipitated conversations in all schools about attitudes to behaviours and children are encouraged to speak to trusted adults about anything they find uncomfortable and to know that they will be believed. Of course, situations are far more likely to arise at senior schools but by making sure children know that they will be listened to if they have any issues from a young age, we are giving them to tools to navigate any issues which might arise later on.

Teenage emotions can mean risk taking and so it is important to encourage children to articulate how/what they are feeling. They also need to understand that their feelings can change and be encouraged to think about the consequences of their actions. This applies to situations online and `in real life’.

Much of what Laura said was echoed by Karl Hopwood, our e-Safety expert who has been visiting DH for 10 years now.

Both advised talking to children whilst driving the car or out on a walk and keeping a dialogue going from a young age rather than waiting for `the big conversation’

Karl always offers a calm and pragmatic view of the online world and gives great advice on ways in which we can keep children safe.

He says that technology is not the problem, it is behaviour and so this is what we need to tackle.

In his talk, points out that even if your child is not using technology at home, they may well use it at friends’ houses and social media platforms are certain to be topics of conversation at school.

• Remind children that he says: `the Internet never forgets’

• Don’t over-react - you want your children to keep talking to you. (Some children don’t report things which have happened online as they fear their phone or tablet will be confiscated)

• If you allow your child to have a social media account, make sure it is set up using their true age as fake ages can attract inappropriate targeted content being received

Both Laura and Karl remarked on how extraordinarily open and responsive Dorset House children are and they visit a huge number of schools each year.

PSHEE

picking up objects with their toes! Alison answered all the children’s questions with honesty and humour as they were naturally curious about how Alison coped with driving, eating and getting dressed. We had excellent feedback from the children and look forward to seeing Alison again in the future. Sarah Armstrong

Accept,Listen, Learn

Alison Wright from ‘Accept, Listen, Learn’ visited Dorset House to run workshops with our KS1 and KS2 children for Anti-Bullying Week.

Alison was born with short arms after her mother was given the drug Thalidomide and runs Disability workshops to encourage children to celebrate difference and disability.

Alison is keen for children to learn to be inclusive and kind as well as for them to understand not only some of the difficulties experienced by disabled people but also their triumphs and achievements. Alison herself is a gold medallist in the Paralympics for sprinting and for hurdles and has an infectiously positive attitude, showing that anything is possible if you work hard and follow your dreams. Alison’s workshops included talks and videos and the children were encouraged to have a go at writing, drawing and

Anti-BullyingWeek

During Anti-Bullying Week, Ms Hutchings led an assembly which looked at what makes us all `different’.

She asked every child to write on a Post-It note, something which applies to them.

These notes were pinned up in the Dining Room for everyone to share and the children were invited to wear odd socks and shoes all week as a reminder that differences are a positive thing.

Careerstalks

We continued our series of careers talks for Prep children this term with a very engaging talk from Trevor Clough (papa to Paxton in Year 5). Trevor explained how he and his

husband, Jason, created their company, `Digby Fine English’, from scratch. He explained that his background in International Relations and Finance was not for him in the long run and how it is ok to take risks. As ever, the children asked excellent questions (lots of them!) including asking how the company gets its name out to the public and were there any things they would change if they went back to the beginning. Trevor really inspired the children.

We also heard from Josie Cadwallader -Hughes who is Sustainability Director at Thakeham Group.

She talked about the subjects she had enjoyed or which were useful from her time at school (Geography and Physics from a practical perspective and English for excellent communication skills).

Children were chosen to draw a house - under instruction from the audience. Following a discussion on what would improve the house, another group of children added elements such as solar panels and insulation.

There followed a whole raft of questions which were, as usual, very varied and interesting.

We are so grateful to our speakers for their expertise and enthusiasm and we look forward to welcoming further speakers next term.

PSHEE

Remembrance

We gathered at St Nicholas’ Church in Arundel for our annual Act of Remembrance.

We are grateful to Fr Peter Mallinson for leading the service and for his interesting and very personal talk during which he spoke of his own family’s memories of war - brought to life by a display of artefacts. Thanks as well to Fr David Twinley for allowing us to use this beautiful church.

At 11.00 on 11th November, we joined children and staff from Bury and Coldwaltham Schools and village neighbours to remember those from our villages who fell in the two World Wars.

Harry Wilmore (Year 8) read A E Housman’s, `Here Dead Lie We’: `Here dead lie we because we did not choose

To live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose; But young men think it is, and we were young.

Children from all three schools laid poppy wreaths at the base of the War Memorial and our Head Girl and Head Boy, Coco Gray and Rocco Heggie can be seen here with Fr Peter Mallinson after the service.

Dylan Baldwin (Year 7) played the Last Post and Reveille beautifully on both occasions.

Flowersforthe Queen

As we marked the passing of Her Majesty, Ms Hutchings made her way to Green Park in order to lay a small posy of flowers from the DH grounds. Can you spot them?!

Year 7 Business Enterprise

Year 7 were so excited as they put the finishing touches to the items for their stall in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The Art and DT rooms were buzzing as children made last-minute signs or filled jam jars with flowers to sell. On the morning, we were all grateful for a cold, bright day following a week of heavy rain. Some children arrived early in order to help set up or to deliver delicious baked goods. Max wins the prize for the earliest start as he was up at 4.30 am, making delicious Ukrainian pastries (Pyroshky) filled with poppy seeds or cherries. These were delivered warm and were the first thing to sell out. All the children took a turn at manning the stall and they really enjoyed speaking to members of the public about the goods on sale and the project in general.

At the end of the day they had all but sold out and raised £1050.52 for GOSH. This was the third time a Year 7 group have taken part in a Business Enterprise project and each group has learnt something from the group before. Mrs Harrison congratulated the children and said that they should feel very proud of themselves and that their great result just showed them what they can do as a team and individually with determination and hard work.

Mr Owens had spoken to the financial team (Cosmo, Jensen and Max) and said the their forecasting was very good as they estimated that if everything sold, they would raise £1040. He explained that in a non-charity business situation, there would have been more costs as time was not factored in and some items were donated.

The team had tried to recycle as much as possible. Fabric off-cuts were used for draft excluders and a wonderful silk fabric sample booklet was cut up to make luxury lavender bags - filled with lavender from children’s gardens

Greenery and herbs from gardens were used for jam jar flowers - bolstered by some bought roses to keep costs down.

At the evaluation meeting, every child filled in a form –answering several questions about what they had enjoyed and what could be improved upon. It was so interesting to hear the children’s thoughts on the outcome. I am sure that this group will be able to pass on some really helpful advice to the Year below them. Thank you to everyone who supported this projectincluding parents and staff and well done to all the Year 7 children.

Sarah

O’Brien

French Trip

The French trip was one of the best trips I have been on at DH. There were so many activities and new experiences that I enjoyed. We took the ferry which had lots of things to do such as cinema, arcades, buffets and much more. We arrived at the chateau and had a tour around the stunning grounds with wild bunnies hopping around everywhere. We were told that everyday we would adventure into a new activity. The activities were to show leadership and bravery and everyone loved them.

On Wednesday we visited Mont St Michel (an island only reachable when the tide is out). All of us clambered up to the top of the island until we reached the big abbey. We then were allowed to walk off in groups and look at the old vintage town. It was very cool looking around all of the souvenir shops and learning about the history of Mont St Michel.

Year 5 Leadership

Thisyear’sleadershiptriptoLodge Hillprovedtobeawonderfulsuccess. MrNieldandMrsArmstrongtookthe childrenontwodaysoffun-filled activitiesincludingtheHighZipLine, anArcherylesson,theCrateStack Challenge,theClimbingTowerand theLowRopesagilitycourse.Thefinal activitywasanorienteeringevent coveringtheentiresiteandwasentered intowithgreatenthusiasm.Wehad wonderfulfoodsuppliedbythestaffat theLodgeHillcentre,withhot chocolateandamovienightbefore settlingdowntosleepinthe comfortabledorms.Alltold,thiswasa fantasticeventandIwouldliketo thankallthechildrenandguidesfor theirexcellentattitudetotheevent. Welldonetoall! LeeNield

Nativity

PricklyHay

This year’s Nativity – Prickly Hay, was an exciting musical version of the well -known Christmas story, with a fun country and western flavour. Narrated by Sam, a hardworking stable girl, it featured herself, her faithful friend Shrew and some very special visitors. The play opened with the whole cast dancing The Stable Hoedown – complete with cowboy hats and the occasional Yee Ha!. Each class got their moment to shineReception quite literally, as they performed their exquisite Star Dance. Year Two took on the leading roles with gusto – and had great fun dancing with their mops as they sang “Working in a Stable”. Year 1 is not the largest of classes, but they gave it their all, singing If You Think You’re Not Important enjoying their moment

Pre-Prep

ForestSchool

InForestSchoolthisterm,thePre-Prepchildrenhavebeen busyenjoyingthechangesAutumnbrings.Withthefalling leaves,theyhavebeengettingcreative,decoratingtheirown naturalphotoframesandbuildinghibernationhomesforthe hedgehogs.TheYear2senjoyedbakingbreadontheopen fireinournewDutchOven.TheReceptionchildrenhave startedtolearnhowtowhittle.Stageone-whittleacarrot. Astheweathergetscolder,weneedmoreandmorefirewood tokeepwarmand,ofcourse,tomakehotchocolate.The childrenhavebeenlearninghowtosafelysplitwoodtocreate thekindling.Nottomentioncontinuingtopractiseusing thefiresteeltolighttheirownlittlefire.Yetanotherbusy terminthewoods!

AliFentiman

Reception

Asusual,theReceptionClasschildrenhaveamazedmewith howwelltheyhaveadaptedtoandsettledintolifeatDorset House.WestartedtheAutumntermthinkingabout ourselvesinourtopicAllAboutMe.Thechildrenhave enjoyedthinkingabouttheirownbodies,suchastheir5 senseswherewesmelt,tasted,felt,lookedforandheardlots ofdifferentthings!Wespentalotoftimethinkingaboutour familiesandthosepeoplewhoareimportanttous.Forsome, veryimportantfamilymembersareourpets,andsowe celebratedtheseduringourpetweek!Wehadseveraldogs andcatscometovisitandtheweekcametoanendwithan excitingvisitfromapony!Intherun-uptoChristmas,the Receptionchildrenhavebeenbusyexploringdifferent celebrationsfromaroundtheworld.Weparticularlyenjoyed tastingtheappledippedinhoneythatJewseattocelebrate RoshHashanahandthinkingabouthowwecelebrate Christmas!Wehavefinishedthetermwithawonderful productionofourNativity,‘PricklyHay’,andIhavebeen delightedwithhowwellthechildrenhavelearnttheplaytheyperformeditbrilliantly!

JessLake

Pre-Prep

WealdandDownlandTrip

Thereareoftenpositivecommentsaboutthebehaviourof DHpupilsfrommembersofthepublicwhenweareoutand aboutontrips–YearI’srecenttriptotheWealdand DownlandLivingMuseumwasnodifferent–ourwet weathergearwasalsomuchcommentedonandthank goodnessweworeourmuddypuddlesandwellies,asitwasa verywetday.Wedecidedtoexplorethemuseumunderour ownsteamthisyear.Wewerelookingatmaterialsusedto constructthebuildings,aswellasmakingcomparisons betweenhomesfromvariousperiodsintime.Thehouses wereallverycosy,withfireslitineachone.Theclassenjoyed negotiatingthesteepstairsinthecottagestocountthebeds andhaveapeepatthegarderobe.Weenjoyedanactivity whichinvolvedguessingtheusesofarangeofmysteryobjects andsayingwhatmaterialtheyweremadefrom.Wehad varyingdegreesofsuccesswiththis–identifyingmetaland potterybutweretotallystumpedbyaleatherbottle.We enjoyedapicniclunchbythemillpond(andsodidthe ducks)butastheafternoonsquallshit,wedecidedtohead backtoschoolaswewereallverysoggy.Thisisalwaysan enjoyabletrip–weevenstrolleddowntotheRepairShopto seeifwecouldspotJayBlades,buttheywerefilmingsowe couldn’tgettooclose.Wepoppedintotheshopandboughta bagoftheflourwehadseenbeingmilledandwehaveplansto bakesomedropsconesbeforetheendofterm. KarenBentley

Year2-ArcticandAntarctic

Year 2 were introduced to their topic on the polar regions by learning the 7 Continents song using maps and atlases to find them. They searched for facts about Arctic animals such as the Arctic Hare, Arctic Fox, Narwhal and Polar Bear. The children worked in groups to create fact files about their chosen animal and created mobiles to hang in the classroom. Did you know that snowy owls have a wingspan between 1.3 and 1.5 metres? .)r the Arctic Hare that can run up to 40 miles per hour! We love learning facts.

We enjoyed creating some wonderful Arctic Art using different mediums. We compared polar expeditions from early 20th century to early 21st century – looking at the differences in sleep, clothing, food, travel and navigation. We were introduced to Felicity Aston – a modern Polar explorer who skied solo across Antarctica learning that Antarctica is a harsh habitat… even for our colonies of penguins which we created in Art.

Sasha Metzger and Janet Maultby

Year 4 Year 3

This year marked 100 years since Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun's tomb. On the anniversary of the great find, Year 3 became Egyptologists and looked at a range of historical sources to see what they could learn about Tutankhamun. They were captivated by the story of how the events unfolded and wrote diary entries as if they were Howard Carter documenting the discovery. The children then made their very own Tutankhamun death masks (which you can see in the photo below) and learnt a song all about him. They enjoyed performing the song in assembly to the rest of the school.

Year 4 have had a fantastic term learning about the Tudors. They have had 3 school trips, a Tudor visitor and Tudor Forest School. They have been to The Mary Rose Museum where they learnt about King Henry VIII’s flagship - The Mary Rose. They discovered what life was like on board for both the crew and officers and had the chance to study some artefacts. The highlight of the visit was the interactive introduction to the museum when the children had a chance to see what it was like on-board the ship when it sank. They have also been to the Weald and Downland Museum where they studied Tudor houses and how ordinary people lived. They had the opportunity of making Apothecary Beads and trying out Tudor toys and games - they soon discovered walking on stilts was not easy! The visit to St Nicholas’ Church in Arundel gave them a chance to understand how the church changed during Tudor times, as well as learning a little about church graffiti and searching for demon traps. Our Tudor visitor described his life when Elizabeth I was on the throne. He brought in artefacts which the children drew expertly in chalk pastels. Forest School showed them how life could be for many Tudors, cooking a simple pottage over the fire. During their Tudor week, they dressed in Tudor clothes and stepped back in time. They made Tudor pies and Knot biscuits for lunch one day, tried Tudor dancing and wrote with a quill and ink. They now realise how difficult and slow writing used to be!

Janet White and Sarah Twinley

Sarah Wake

Music

The Autumn term is always a busy one for the Music department, and this year, finally after a threeyear break for reasons we all know too well, we were able to have a proper musical Christmas season! It began with the Christmas Concert (in December this year!). The inner Barn was packed with parents fuelled with mulled wine and mince pies who were in good voice for the carols, accompanied by the orchestra.

Performance highlights included the Swing Band’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Frosty the Snowman’, the choir’s rendition of ‘Lunar Lullaby’ - a recent composition by Jacob Naverud, the Y5 & 6 Singers with ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’, and the Junior Choir’s ‘Cherry Tree Carol’ accompanied by Beatrice de Courcy –White on the bass guitar and Wade Stormonth-Darling on the glockenspiel. There were solos from Francesca Morris-Warburton on the saxophone with ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and Hadley Tranter-French on the cello with ‘The Dance of the Snowmen’.

The candle-lit Christingle for the PrePrep was next, and was a lovely opportunity for the younger children to perform, led by Year 3. The Carol Service was a lovely occasion too –the school community gathered at St. Nicolas’ in Arundel and the service was led by the choir. Their pieces included Neaum’s ‘Winds Through the Olive Trees’ and Handel’s ‘On Christmas Morn, in Bethlehem’. The Y8 Choristers (Eliza Fearon, Harry Wilmore, Neve Meurer, Coco Gray and Bella Boyce) also performed ‘I Wonder as I Wander’ beautifully.

We have also been treated to carols at breaktimes, with groups of instrumentalists performing carols in the woods, on the pitches, in the staff room, the kitchen and anywhere else they could find an audience! What fun!

Earlier in the term there were informal concerts for Years 14. They were really special occasions full of happy and confident children singing their hearts out. For Year 1 it was their first chance to do so, and for Year 3 the first opportunity to perform on the various instruments that they have chosen to learn.

Members of the Swing Band and other woodwind players were treated to a fun day of music making at Brighton College for their Jazz Day. They teamed up with other advanced players and were a force of nearly 75 –they made quite a sound! Their challenging setlist included classics such as `Let's get Funky’,

`Watermelon Man’, `Tequila’, `Just a Closer Walk With Thee’ (New Orleans Funeral March), `Havana’ and `Funky Town.’

James Ratcliffe took part in a concert organised by the Yehudi Menuhin School orchestra on his cello called ‘Perfect Pitch’, a footballthemed affair, that saw the orchestra perform with over 200 singers, including India’s finest tenor Anando Mukerjee, and which included a rendition of ‘Nessun Dorma’ - a hark back to the World Cup of 1990.

Many children were entered for exams this term and all passed with flying colours. Worth a mention is Bella Boyce who took two ‘big’ exams in one day: Grade 6 clarinet and Grade 5 singing!

Hockey

U13A

The U13As have had a successful season and have flourished as the weeks have gone by. They started the season with a 6-3 victory over Farlington and have secured wins over Seaford College, Lancing Prep at Worthing and Cottesmore, only losing narrowly by one goal to a strong Handcross Park side. Special mention should go to Olivia Finn and Layla Owens, who have played up in the U13A team all season and contributed to the team’s success. A particular highlight for the U13s was winning the U13 Pennthorpe Hockey Tournament, defeating Pennthorpe 2-1 in the final. Sheer determination, flair and teamwork were the contributing factors to the team’s performance, and we were very proud of their achievement. Well done to the Year 8 girls!

Hockey captain, Eliza Fearon, has led by example, driving the attacking play and using her stick skills to outwit her opponents. She has, therefore, been named U13A Player of the Season with Neve Meurer Most Improved Player.

U13B

It was a slow start for the U13Bs, losing their first game, but they have gone from strength to strength and have really gelled as a team. They have had some brilliant wins and draws against Seaford, Duke of Kent, Lancing at Worthing, Lancing at Hove, Pennthorpe, Brighton and Cottesmore. It has been amazing to see their progress throughout the term. Special mention should go to Francesca Morris-Warburton for being their goal scoring machine and Alice Andrews and Lottie Laing for their shared performance in goal and stepping up to play in the A team on occasions. Grace Crowther and Imogen Peddar were new to hockey this year and have made outstanding progress this term. As a result, they have both received U13B Most Improved players with Player of the Season presented to Alice Andrews.

U11

The U11s have had a successful hockey season and have risen to the challenge of playing their matches on a large astro. They have faced some tough opposition but have been victorious against Seaford, Farlington and Brighton. They narrowly lost to a strong Handcross side, but they have all made amazing progress. Florence Evans has been fantastic in every match and is developing into a great goalkeeper. U11 Most Improved player was awarded to Alice Butler with Player of the Season awarded to Beatrice Belgeonne

U11 Hockey

U13 A Hockey

U13 B Hockey

U10

The U10s have played a combination of netball and hockey this term. Starting the season with a 4-2 win against Farlington was a great confidence boost for the girls and this continued against Lancing Prep at Hove and Seaford. A huge well done should go to Coco Goss, who only picked up a hockey stick in September, making excellent progress having been thrown straight into matches. She was a worthy winner of the U10 Most Improved player with Player of the Season awarded to Jessie Tustin. The U10s and U11s have enjoyed sporadic netball matches during this term. Both teams took part in the Oakwood Netball Tournaments. The U10s were superb, securing 3rd place while the U11As finished as runners-up after narrowly losing to Oakwood in their final match. Both events were a great warm-up in preparation for the netball season ahead. U8sandU9s

It has been an exciting season for the U8s and U9s. Throughout the Autumn term they have played a combination of hockey and netball and both teams have been highly successful. The U9s attended the Westbourne and Oakwood Netball Festivals, losing just one game across both events, playing some inspiring netball! They have also claimed wins against Duke of Kent, Seaford, Farlington, Lancing at Hove, Mayville and Great Ballard. The U9s ended the term with a 5-4 victory against St Christopher’s. It has been a brilliant term for the U9s and we are excited to see them in action next term. There have only been a few opportunities to play hockey, but their season kicked off with a triumphant win against Lancing Prep at Hove. This winning streak continued against both Seaford and a team

from Lancing Prep at Worthing. The U9 hockey Player of the Season was presented to Sophie Ratcliffe and Most Improved player was awarded to Minnie Andrews, The U8s have enjoyed their first term of competitive matches and are particularly fond of away matches, making many music requests on the bus! They are shaping up to be a superb little netball team, with only two losses to Cranleigh and St Andrews respectively all season. Beginning the hockey season with a win 4-0 against Lancing Prep at Hove, it has been wonderful to see the girls transfer their skills from lessons to matches. It has been encouraging to see continued effort and enthusiasm throughout the rest of the season as well as the improvement in their individual stick skills. The U8 Player of the Season was awarded to Lily Winter and the Most Improved player was Poppy Stevenson.

U8 Netball

U8 and U9 Hockey

U10 Hockey

Sport

Girls’Football

On the back of the success of the England Lionesses, the Y5-8 girls were excited to start the football season. It was a successful start too with wins for the U11s and U12s against Shoreham and with the U13As holding a physical Shoreham side to a 0-0 draw, well done! Finishing the 2022 part of the season with wins against Farlington was rewarding, leaving everyone ready for more as we continue our football season in the Spring term. We are enormously proud of all the Y3-8 girls - well done, you have worked hard, have a wonderful Christmas.

Thereturnofsuper

-Reception

Superhero school was back open this term and the Reception children have been very busy preparing for their superhero tests in their PE lessons! They put on their favourite superhero costumes and prepared to undergo rigorous tests to determine if they could become true superheroes and defeat the evil villain, Miss O’Connell! Super-Reception had to test their speed, power, accuracy, and agility, dodging the evil villain's lava balls, and crossing crocodile-infested swamps. You’ll be pleased to know there are now 11 new superheroes helping to keep us safe and the King’s precious jewels have been safely returned! They were all awarded their superhero license in assembly. Well done to our Super-Reception!

CrossCountry

At the start of the season, we took teams to Seaford for cross country competitions. The U9 girls’ team came 3rd and Mills Sirett came 2nd and Sophie Ratcliffe 9th in the individual races.

Sam Crowley won the U10 boys’ race. In the U12 and U13 races, Rocco Heggie, Bella Boyce and Olivia Finn all finished in the top 10. We entered the Rikkyo School XC relays this term and returned with a collection of medals. Winning the U11 girls' and boys' race, along with the U13 boys' race, Dorset House were extremely successful. It was a bonus that Jake Wightman, 1500m World Champion, was presenting the medals, along with Susan Wightman, previous Head of Girls’ Games. It was a fantastic event and Dorset House are looking forward to returning next year hoping to reclaim their winning titles. Well done to all the runners!

are a selection of images from the Cross Country events at Rikkyo School and at Seaford College earlier this term.

Super Reception showing us their skills

Here

Sport

Football

The 1st team produced some good football this season and ended up with some pleasing results. There were wins against Lancing at Worthing, Westbourne, The Weald, Cottesmore, Pennthorpe and Belmont. Sadly, the County Cup did not go as well as last year, with the boys going down against a strong side from Worthing High School. The commitment and effort was there from all the players, ably led by Reece Brazier. The goals came mainly from the boot of Rocco Heggie, who managed to score 15. There were attacking contributions from Seb Marsh and Jackson Black, whilst the defence was shored up by the likes of Tom Hodgson and Harry Richardson. Mention should also be made of the progress of Harry Anderson and Henry Godfrey, and of course, the goalkeeper Barney Waddell.

Under the new management of Dr Wintle, the 2nds played some entertaining football and it was great to see the confidence grow amongst the players. Ned Hafner provided the flair and creativity, Hadley TranterFrench the energy and Jensen Bladd -Symms - possibly the best goalkeeper a 2nd team has ever had, provided that reassurance between the posts. They picked up some great results against Westbourne, Handcross and Pennthorpe.

The Colts A were the team to look out for this season, with a wealth of talent that was chiefly provided by the Year 5 boys. They took a while to get going but grew stronger as the season went on. They had some tough

1st XI

The Arun Valley Schools Football Tournament

fixtures against sides made up of Year 6 boys but at times held their own and the experience gained this year will stand them in good stead next season. Mention should go to the skills of Sam Crowley and the fire power of Harry Redgrove, who managed to break the school goalscoring record with an amazing total of 20 goals. The team won the inaugural Arun Valley Schools’ Football Tournament and also came Runner Up at the Lancing at Worthing Tournament.

The Colts B, despite being one of the strongest teams we have had for a while, had a tough season with results not really going their way. The effort and enthusiasm could not be faulted however, and the boys enjoyed their games. There were great contributions from the left foot of Rafferty New, the dribbling and shooting of Jackson Morey and the solid defence of Daniel Sherwell. The Colts C began the season with a real spring in their step and picked up some good results. In one game Jayden Ruellan-Chancellor scored 7 goals! Word must have got around the circuit as he was a marked man after that and only manged to score another 2! Special mention must go to the work rate of Henry Annison and James Ratcliffe. The U8/9s all made great progress and showed their potential. Roddy Cleghorn and Stanley Winter masterminded victories for the A team against Lancing at Worthing, Prebendal, Pennthorpe, Seaford and Cottesmore, whilst there were some strong and encouraging performances from the likes of Inigo Le Page, Charlie Morey and Tommy Davies. All the boys enjoyed themselves and can be proud of their achievements.

U8s and U9s enjoying their first match of the season

Harry Redgrove has broken the school goalscoring record with an amazing 20 to his name this season.

Colts A

Boarding

This term started with light evenings outside on the pitches and ended with floodlights on the Astro and cosy nights inside.

We welcomed new Year 5 boarders and they have settled in really wellenjoying football or cricket on the pitches or skipping.

As Head of Boarding, I carry out a dorm inspection every morning. I make sure that curtains are open and lights off and that the beds are neat and the dorm tidy. There is a prize for this every half term for the tidiest dorm and the Year 8 girls won for the first half of this term.

I had a meeting with Alison, who runs the kitchen, and we now have salsa and sauces with our food and Cheerios and hot chocolate at ‘buns’. At Halloween, we enjoyed themed games in the Barn which involved

We went to watch Worthing play Oxford City as Mr B is Head of Strategy at the club and the football theme continued as we watched World Cup matches - including the England vs Wales match (with our resident Welshman, Dr Wintle!)

The boarders’ party at the end of term was a first with a trip to Ninja Warrior.

We will be holding an `Introduction to Boarding’ evening for parents in the summer term and I look forward to answering your questions about boarding at DH.

Harry Wilmore

Bury Manor Pre-School

This term the children have learnt about the changes in the season by learning new songs around harvest and celebrating the hard work of the farmers. They have discovered what hibernation means and were very excited to join with the Pre-Prep children to meet Harry the Hedgehog. We ended the first half of term with both Bury Manor and Cootham PreSchool coming together to celebrate harvest by offering their parents delicious harvest cookies that they had made and fruit punch. They sang the new songs and demonstrated their creative skills by making autumn crowns and pumpkin balloons!

A visit from Father Christmas at the Christmas Party was a well deserved treat after the children had performed the Nativity so brilliantly for their parents.

And of course …. a surprise visit from Ofsted resulting in the best possible outcome ….

OUTSTANDING! I would like to thank and congratulate the teachers who work so hard every day to achieve this result.

Tracey Brooks

Art and DT

PaulKlee

In complete contrast to studying Tudor portraiture, Year 5 have created a portrait in the style of Paul Klee - having looked at his painting entitled Senecio (Old man) as art of their artist and colour project. They used simple shapes and chose to use either predominately cool or warm colours in oils pastels. They have confidently captured the highly individual style of Paul Klee’s artwork in their own unique portraits.

Carly Harrison

LancingArtandDesignDay

Mrs Harrison and Mrs Sitwell took a group of Year 6 and 7 pupils to Lancing College for a fun day of Art and Design on the theme: Dots and Circles.

Two of the most exciting activities were pouring molten pewter into moulds to make disks and working with plastics. Pupils also had a chance to work with a 3D printerworking with wood, plastic and metal. Pupils joined together to make a group piece of dots and circles before screen printing a T shirt. Jack Patten and Thomas Sirett (Year 6)

WewerethrilledtolearnthatAliceAndrews(Year7)andBarney Waddell(Year8)havewonrunnerupprizesinourlocalMP, AndrewGriffiths’,annualChristmasCardCompetition.Well donetobothofyou-thiswasastiffcompetition!

TudorPortraits

JamesDysonFoundation

When a large box arrived in the DT workshop the Year 6s were excited to discover what was inside it - they had been told was for their latest DT project. The box and its contents on loan from the James Dyson Foundation, contained a Dyson Air Multiplier fan plus teaching resources to guide students through the design process and nurture the analysis and problem-solving skills engineers use every day.

Other News

Goodbye

At the end of term, we said a fond farewell to Georgie O’Connell who joined us as Night Matron two years ago.

Georgie has been a very popular member of staff and has been a stalwart at Forest School in every kind of weather.

As Night Matron, she has supported boarders and has also helped Mrs Lamb during the day when necessary. We wish her well as she embarks on a well-earned holiday and returns to South Africa to spend time with her family.

andHello

Jay Manley has joined us as an Early Career Teacher and he has made a great start at DH. He has had a huge impact in both the games department and in boarding. He is also being fantastic in Maths where he has been supporting during

lessons in the Prep. In addition, he is a very welcome presence in the staff room where he organised our World Cup sweepstake!

Year6Maths Challenge

James, Anna, GG and I were chosen for a Year 6 Maths Challenge at Windlesham House School. As we arrived, we were directed into a large hall full of children. After finding our table, we started to realise how daunting the hall and our opponents were.

The competition was broken down into three sections: find the value which was some basic algebra; counting down which was like the number round on Countdown and the main event which was lots of different maths questions. We didn’t win but we all had a great time!

Lucas Spellman-Welsh

preparation. The man running the course has lots of experience in the three peaks and said he would be surprised if Stanley could do all three peaks in three days. This made Stanley more determined!

Scafell was very tough for him but he made it and once they had finished Snowdon they had a little rest and a go at the fastest zip wire in the world! It was an amazing adventure and achievement for Stanley and he told the whole school about it at assembly - where he received a huge cheer! Well done, Stanley!

He is pictured here on Ben Nevis and at assembly.

Other News

AWonderfulWedding

We were delighted to have so many children from school come to celebrate our wedding with us. We had a bubble parade, photos, treats and cuddles with Teddy the dog, who was in his own special tuxedo outfit! From the moment we got engaged, I had many requests from children desperate to be bridesmaids and page boys. On the day, they were excited to take on the bridal party roles and carry my veil and train around while we were having photos and chatting to everyone. Thank you so much to everyone for your kind wishes and for bringing your children to the wedding, it meant the world to us. We are so lucky to have had a wonderful day, shared with so many of you.

Sarah Wake (nee Hobrow)

ATriptoTheStoop...

The year 8 boys went on a trip to the Harlequins vs Gloucester rugby match, to increase their excitement for the current rugby season. The boys enjoyed joining in with the songs and the atmosphere of The Stoop, enjoying a Harlequins victory! 21-12. Thank you to Mr Manley for organising the trip and to Dr Wintle and Miss O’Connor for accompanying the boys.

Our Year 6 girls are looking forward to a netball tour to Suffolk next term and in an attempt to keep the costs down, they ran a tombola stall on Bonfire night - raising £230.

Other News

Showjumping Update

Showjumpers from Reception to Year 8 have been competing under the Dorset House banner this term.

Coco Gray (Year 8) did incredibly well, winning the 80-85 cm NESA class at Felbridge. There were 75 riders in the class all competing for their schools. She won by 2 seconds in a very tight class. She hadn’t won anything like it before so it was very exciting. Congratulations Coco!

Cameron Rae (Year 3) and Archie Crumley (Reception) have been consistently placed with too many firsts to list. They represented Dorset House across the 40/50cm courses at the Regional Championships at Felbridge. In the 40cm, Archie came 2nd and 3rd and Cameron came 7th.

Bella Wilmore (Year 6) has also had a great term - culminating in a 4th place at the Regional Championships.

Left are our youngest riders, Archie Crumley and Cameron Rae who have had a term of successes.

Coco Gray

Bella Wilmore

Our showjumpers at Hickstead

Other News

LAMDA

Congratulations to the 19 DH pupils who have recently participated in the LAMDA exams in Acting and Public Speaking.

The pupils have worked incredibly hard preparing their pieces for the examinations and we eagerly await the results.

LAMDA exams are globally recognised courses which empower young people with a range of skills that will serve them in many areas of life.

LAMDA challenges pupils to work under pressure, improve confidence, read and memorise material and develop self-expression.

A new cohort will commence after Christmas and new pupils are very welcome.

Courses last for two terms and so there will be further examinations at the end of the summer term.

Nicola Furnell

Here are Jackson Morey and Paxton Clough-Humphries ahead of their exam.

PlayeroftheWeek

Carrying on a great tradition and along with many other DH children, Sebastian Donaldson (Year 2) enjoys weekly sessions at Pulborough Rugby Club.

He was thrilled to be named `Player of the Week’ early in the season.

TennisNews

Sophie Ratcliffe (Year 4) had a busy summer of tennis and is looking forward to the next season. She has been selected for County training again this year but training with the U11 girls rather than the U10 girls.

SwimmingSuccess

James Ratcliffe (Year 6) has been enjoying success with his swimming this term:

LittlehamptonSeptemberSizzler

2SilverMedals CranleighAutumnMeet

3goldmedals,onesilvermedaland onefourthribbon AtlantisChristmasCracker "TopGun"bestoverall U10male swimmerin50mevents

1Bronzemedalandone4thribbon

Jamesisworkingreallyhardontrying toachievehisfirstcountyqualification timesforthecountychampsearlynext yearandisnowdownto37.49(3.49 secondsoff)in50freestyle,43.53in the50butterfly(2.53secondsoff) and42.46(1.46secondsoff)inthe50 backstroke

Thank you to everyone who has supported the various charity collections this term. As ever, much of the work has been done by the children and we are very proud of their pro-active stance in this area.

At harvest time, children were invited to bring in tins and packets of food for Turning Tides and Mr White delivered this to their warehouse.

Barney, Reece and Neve (Year 8), led an assembly on Children in Need day, explaining the work the charity does both at home and overseas. The Year 8s also ran a cake and cookie stall at breaktime which was very popular!

For Remembrance, our Year 8 prefects sold poppies and novelty items at breaktimes but as the sealed tin was handed to the local representative, we don’t yet have a total for this collection.

The totals for this term are as follows:

The whole school joined in the fun for `Children in Need’ with everyone taking their teddy to school and Year 8 prefects leading assembly whilst Pre -Prep children made Pudsey tortillas and our lovely kitchen team made `spotty’ cakes for pudding.

Parents’ Association

What a Wonderful Term we’ve had. A Huge THANK YOU from the PA for all your help and involvement this term.

We have seen the arrival of the Tipi, the science equipment for Mr Keane’s lessons, Headmasters drinks with delicious canapés, Bonfire night and the WSP! Whoop Whoop! Next term we have some exciting events for your diary: ⚡️ A collection for ECS ( Nkuringo Education and Community Support in Africa) details to follow early next term, Thursday 12th January ⚡️The Unveiling and “Christening” of the New Tipi, (details to follow next term!) ⚡️The Unveiling and “launch” of the PA fundraising initiative involving the school council (details to follow next term!) ⚡️The NEON Disco on Friday 13th January ⚡️The Quiz Night on Friday 4th March

We would like to say an ENORMOUS thank you to our wonderful PA, who in the midst of very busy lives have fully enabled all we have done this term. Thank you for helping behind the scenes with our events and for getting Christmas presents for our teachers whilst working and parenting! You are wonderful and I know ALL of us a DH are hugely grateful for your help and support.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” see you in 2023

✨"Keep it Easy, Keep it Fun, Keep it DH!"✨

Jo, Dolly, Lucy D and Lucy M.

GSGReview

Early this term, we welcomed Emi Finch from the Good Schools Guide who visited to update our entry in this important guide. Thank you to the many parents who were contacted for their views. Here is a brief extract of the finished piece:

Very involved parent community: the Zen Garden, cultivated from a defunct corner of the grounds with yet another heavenly view, plays host to a number of memorable leavers’ gifts (engraved benches, a swing, and more) all donated by parents. New parents commented on the ‘strong parent network.’ ‘We were welcomed very quickly, with class reps reaching out and playdates booked in.’ Parents are funding a big Tipi tent which will be used as an outside classroom and we hear parent helpers make a mean canapé for the headmaster’s drinks party, too. Quiet confidence is on display at this happy and nurturing rural prep. Genuine fluidity across the year groups in sports teams, cocurricular and breaktimes, which is lovely to see. The school and its parent body are supportive and welcoming.

Parents’ Association

We are very grateful to the PA for the donation of a fabulous Tipi which will provide a brilliant outdoor teaching space and for a set of renewable energy generators which Mr Keane is already using.

He writes, Year 5 were producing electrical energy to light a bulb and turn a motor using these. They were able to talk about the chemical energy in their body being converted to first kinetic energy and electrical energy as they turned the magnet inside the coil of wire to light their bulbs and produce up to 15 V of energy! This introductory session will lead on to learning about renewable energy now and in the future and what we can do to reduce the effects of climate change.