Autumn Term Review 2023

DORSET HOUSE SCHOOL

AUTUMN TERM REVIEW 2023

From the Headmaster Well, that was certainly a term of meteorological contrasts!

We started in the middle of a heatwave and then endured the wettest autumn anyone can remember; this is the first year I’ve had occasion to resort to standing by the gate in the morning in wellies!

Of course, this did not dampen the spirits and your children enjoyed a busy and productive term, as you will see on the following pages.

Our new pupils – from Reception to Year 7 - have settled in quickly and are already part of the DH family. As is the way at DH, it has been lovely to see the older children playing with the ‘mini kids’ on the bark chips and in the woods at break times.

I am hugely grateful for the support parents have shown throughout the term and I believe that the home/school partnership is more important than ever. I would especially like to thank our amazing Parents’ Association who organised a stunning Hollywood themed party. The auction alone raised £14,000, which will provide ‘nice to have’ items, which staff and children have requested and also will go a long way towards re-surfacing the Astroturf.

As you will probably know, we introduced a new, bespoke curriculum for Years 7 and 8 four years ago – as we moved away from the strictures of Common Entrance. This is now fully embedded; staff and children continue to enjoy much greater flexibility and freedom, allowing us to prepare children far more effectively for starting their GCSE courses at senior school. With respect to ‘skills’, it has been interesting to see that so much of what we equip pupils with at DH, has been promoted as best practice in the educational press recently.

One important and current topic that is being widely discussed is that of financial education. Managing money is an indispensable life skill, yet it is a subject which remains lacking in many schools; young people are either left to navigate this area on their own or rely on limited guidance from their parents.

It has been recognised that, in order to address this critical gap and help people to avoid money related problems later in life, there is an urgent need to integrate financial literacy into the school curriculum.

To this end, there is to be a Parliamentary Education Committee inquiry to shed light on the current state of financial education in schools and identify areas for improvement. We are not waiting for this and in the new 2

year, Ruth Burton-Haigh, our new Head of Maths, will be introducing financial literacy sessions for the pupils in Years 7 and 8 which will build on the work they have done previously looking at finance as part of their Business Enterprise project. They will be looking at how ICT can be used to help with managing, monitoring and calculating finances; various areas of financial consideration for the future including salaries, part-time jobs and expenses will also be introduced.

The Business Enterprise project is now in its fourth year. I would like to congratulate this year’s group on such a successful outcome and for being so engaged and committed throughout. The skills developed in this project are almost endless. The main ones alongside financial literacy, however, are: creativity, innovation, problemsolving, teamwork, decision-making, communication and planning.

We continue to hold regular careers talks and this term, welcomed Cliodhna Duggan who described her life as a BA pilot. Thank you, Cliodhna, for such an inspiring talk.

Throughout Years 7 and 8, we watch the children grow in maturity and take on roles of responsibility ahead of their move to senior school in Year 9. Through subjects such as Theology and Philosophy, we aim to equip students with the ability to engage with news and information critically, emphasising the importance of questioning sources, recognising bias, and appreciating how differing beliefs shape narratives. Of course, with the growing influence of AI, such skills are more important than ever.

Next year we look forward to marking the 60th anniversary of Dorset House moving to Bury, and we plan a family day of celebration in the summer term to mark the occasion.

I wish you all a Happy Christmas and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school in January.

Year 7 - Business Enterprise This was the fourth time our Year 7 children have taken part in the Business Enterprise project and everyone was really impressed with their attitude and teamwork.

They decided to raise funds for the RNLI and Canine Partners. They wrote to both charities to ask for fundraising packs and were delighted when Canine Partners offered to send someone to talk about the work they do. We will invite them to bring one of their dogs to an assembly next term.

Here are some thoughts on the project from Year 7: James ে I liked making the cookie jars and analysing costs to find the selling price and profit.

Olivia ে I loved making everything but especially the mincemeat. My friends and I really enjoyed selling on the day because we go to interact and sell to the public.

Anna ে I really enjoyed the Business Enterprise. I liked greeting the people at the stall and making the lavender bags and Christmas cards at school.

Bea ে I really enjoyed the Business Enterprise at Pulborough Market. My favourite thing was making mincemeat as we got to eat some apple at the end!

Tiggy ে I enjoyed making all the supplies with my friends and making some cookies with my stepেdad.

Lucas ে My favourite part of the Business Enterprise project was the market. I loved watching people buy our stock. I was delighted to hear that all of my Christmas pudding pomে poms sold.

Lilla ে I thought it was an amazing experience and it was so much fun!

Laith ে My favourite bit of the Business Enterprise was selling our stock and making lavender bags and cookies.

Florence ে I really enjoyed designing the labels for the honey and the sweet jars. (see photo) Izzy ে We learnt about profit and loss and we enjoyed making things to sell and raising money for charity.

Thomas ে My favourite part was making the bird feed balls.

GG ে I loved selling to the public and making all the stock.

The original plan was to take a stall at Arundel Farmers’ Market but with gale force winds forecast, we took the decision to cancel the stall and were lucky enough to be given a Community Stall at Pulborough Village Market. The footfall was lower but the children really enjoyed the experience and have managed to reach the £1000 profit target, set by Mr Thomas at the beginning of term.

The children were supported and encouraged by the whole DH community and would like to thank parents who donated apples for chutney and mincemeat. Special thanks go to the Dawe family who donated 20 jars of honey (which sold out) and to Richard Goss, who donated lovely jars into which the children put their Christmas goodies.

Ruth BurtonেHaigh covered profit and loss with the children and Laura Hutchings covered marketing with them.

Carly Harrison orchestrated the project again and this year, decided to plan two whole days devoted to making items to sell (rather than using art lessons as in previous years). This worked very well and the children were able to have a go at making a wide range of items. They were often surprised by how much they enjoyed these activities!

Sarah O’Brien 3

French Trip Some reflections from Year 7.

The most memorable part of the French Trip was canoeing. We had to walk across the fields to get to the lake.

Tiggy and I came third in three of our races and first in the last one. After that I decided to jump in the water which was freezing. At the start of every activity we had to write in our journals ে I learnt so much French ে it really helped me. (GG)

The instructors were really nice: they could only speak French to us but in the end we found out that they could actually speak a little English ! (Anna)

My favourite bit of the French trip was the orienteering ে it was such fun ে we got to climb big hills and we came across a creepyেlooking Hansel and Gretel house in the woods, which was scary. (Lilla)

The best bit of the French trip was the 360 cinema where we watched a documentary about the DणDay landings ण over 10,000 allies died but we still won through. (Laith)

The mini farm was such fun. I held a rabbit, fed a pig and the horses and a lama called Zoe. Zoe sort of sucked the food off your hand ে it felt very odd but in a good way. (Florence)

We got to feed the lama and the Shetlands, the pigs and chickens and we were allowed to sit down and hold the bunnies. (Izzy)

4

The best part of the French trip was the fantastic food: For example, for breakfast we had croissant, pain au chocolat, chocolate brioche and French bread that was amazing and soft. (James)

I thought that the entrance to the Bayeaux Tapestry was very fancy with a red carpet. We were handed an audio guide so that you could walk around the tapestry whilst listening to a man talking about the bit that you were looking at. (Olivia)

The trip helped me to get better at French and see more of France. I really enjoyed it and look forward to going again next year. (Tiggy)

Leadership

Year 5 Shine at Lodge Hill

The Year 5 Lodge hill trip proved to be a big hit with the children and staff!

Mr Bardouleau, Mrs Posnett, Miss Bevan and Miss Hawkins took the children for a fantastic two day residential visit.

We were impressed with the enthusiasm, bravery and perseverance as the children tackled: archery, high

zip line, The Crate Stack Challenge, Snoেtubing, Low ropes and climbing.

They worked hard on their communication, problemেsolving and teamwork. The first day of hard work was capped off with a hot chocolate and a movie night.

We were extremely proud of all the children’s efforts to participate in all activities, overcoming fears and showing resilience. The sweets we bribed the children with, may have helped with this!!! Adam Bardouleau 5

Year 8 Prefects Each September, our Year 8 pupils are invited to apply for positions of responsibility. Following a rigorous process, each of them is given a title which plays to their strengths. Here they introduce themselves and explain their roles.

My Name is Olivia: I am Head Girl.

This term, I have held Prefect Meetings with the Head Boy, Henry.

We try to monitor, motivate and support the other prefects and we meet with Mr Thomas.

My name is Henry: I am Head Boy. This term I have run Prefect meetings with the Head Girl, Olivia. We are also planning a meeting with Mr Thomas.

6

My name is Jensen: I am Deputy Head Boy, Boys’ Sports Prefect and Rugby Captain. This year I am planning to run breaktime sports activities for all the children

My name is Grace: I am Eco Prefect.

This year I am planning to make people more aware of our environment, make sure that they know that animals’ lives matter and I hope to plant a few more trees around the school.

My name is Cosmo: I am Head of Boarding and Science Prefect. This term I have helped a lot with boarding activities, and I have helped Mr Keane in the lab. I plan to continue to do plenty of the same.

My name is Francesca: I am Deputy Head Girl and Head of Orchestra. I have helped plan and run Prefect Meetings and I am planning to help the Eco and Charity Prefects in their mission to get the school to use less plastic and to raise more money for charities.

My name is Lottie: I am Head of School Council..This term we have run four School Council meetings. I am planning to gather more ideas next term to put forward.

My name is Jackson: I am Head of School Council and Football Captain.

This year I am planning to put ideas forward from the School Council reps to try and change the school. I have also captained the football 1st team to wins this season – including the Pennthorpe Tournament.

My name is Sophia: I am Events Prefect and Girls’ Sports Prefect.

This term, I have helped to organise Bonfire Night, Mental Health Day, Odd Socks Day and a Halloween treasure hunt for the Pre-Prep. In the Spring term I am planning to start some sports clubs at breaktime. I would also like to run a sports event with the parents.

My name is Layla: I am Eco Prefect and Hockey Captain. As Hockey Captain I have captained the U13As and I am planning to recycle hockey sticks for younger pupils. As Eco Prefect I am planning ways of helping the school protect the environment more.

My name is Joe: I am Boarding WellBeing Prefect. This year I am planning to help people settle into boarding.

7

Year 8 Prefects

My name is Alice: I am Well-Being Prefect and Football Captain. This year I am planning to start a WellBeing Club. My name is Wade: I am one of the Well-Being Prefects. This year we are planning to launch several well-being initiatives, including an ‘Activity of the Week’.

My name is Dylan: I am Head of Swing Band, Hockey Captain, ICT Prefect and Estates Prefect. This year I am planning to run a ‘Practical Skills’ Club for ICT. I also want to make people more aware of all the birds that we have on site and set up feeding stations for them.

8

My name is Beatrice: I am Head of Choir, Pre-Prep Prefect and Athletics Captain. This term I have led the choir in all the church services, and I have helped out in the Pre-Prep with my fellow PPP, Harriet. I try to see the Pre-Prep children whenever I can, and I am planning to try and make more links between them and the older children.

My name is Harriet: I am one of the Pre-Prep Prefects. This term I have helped in the Pre-Prep with Halloween activities, the Nativity, the Christingle and the Christmas Craft Day. I also play with the Pre-Prep at breaktimes.

My name is Mariya: I am Charity Prefect. I have helped with all the many charity collections this term and I am planning to hold even more in the coming terms.

We hope you have enjoyed reading a little about our Year 8 pupils. They had great fun deciding how to portray themselves - and so did their Form Teacher, Ms Hutchings!

Charity The children (and, of course, you, their parents) excelled themselves in their support for the many and varied charity collections this term.

We started with our, now traditional, Harvest Festival collection for a local food bank. Although they were asked to bring in an item of food, most children turned up with several – and some brought in carrier bags full. In the end, Mr White was able to load up one of the minibuses with 25 boxes and bags full of food, which he then delivered to the Littlehampton Food Bank. We subsequently received a lovely letter from the Food Bank, expressing their gratitude, and I was able to read this to the children in assembly.

One church collection went to help with the maintenance of St John’s in Bury (£180.60) and one was added to the money raised for the Royal British Legion by selling poppies (£452.85 in total).

The Charity and Events Prefects ran a cookie sale and ‘Guess the Sweets in the Jar’ competition and raised £186.70 for Young Minds.

All of Year 8 helped to run a House ‘Penny Trail’ competition for Children in Need and the coins were put together with the donations that were also handed in. At the time of writing, there is a very large box of copper sitting in the Manor office waiting to be counted, but the total raised so far comes to just over £200 - plus these coins.

And finally, Dorset House made its final payment to FEAST. This came to £935 and the FEAST fund is now empty. The money went to the eight Indian children who we have supported through school during the last seven and a half years. We wish

our students well but will now hopefully be turning our attention to helping children in West Sussex.

We finished the term with a collection of Christmas food items for the Pulborough Family Support Group I would like to thank everyone who has contributed so generously to all these good causes. Please do let us know, if you think that there is a local organisation or event that would benefit from our support.

Laura Hutchings 9

Forest School It has been a term of two halves with a gloriously sunny first half and a wet second half but that hasn’t stopped us! It has been an extremely busy and exciting term in the forest. The new Reception children have taken to life in the forest like ducks to water. They have got stuck into new activities like whittling carrots and, of course, if you’ve whittled a carrot, why not eat it!

The children also enjoyed apple bobbing for Halloween and then eating the apple of course.

The children have been busy honing their forestry skills all term. After the recent storms, they have helped to clear a fallen tree, using the loppers to trim the branches and a bow saw to cut up the larger logs for the fire.

Year 2 made their own woodland band using the pots and pans from the mud kitchen as percussion instruments.

The addition of the new mud kitchen, kindly funded by the PA, has been a great success across all Year groups. The children have `made’ pancakes, milkshakes and hot chocolates galore!

Thank you to the PA from all the children in the Pre-Prep.

Ali Fentiman

10

Reception

September is always an exciting time for me as I ready myself to welcome a brandেnew cohort into the Reception classroom. The children always manage to amaze me with how well they settle into life at Dorset House, and this year’s children have been no different!

We started the term with our topic, All About Me, where we enjoyed learning about ourselves, and we spent a great deal of time talking about our families.

One of the most popular weeks of the Autumn Term is pet week. We were lucky enough to be visited by lots of dogs of all shapes and sizes and we even had a pony! In the week leading up to Bonfire Night, we had the fire fighters from Storrington Fire Station who came to visit us with their fire engine.

The children were able to explore the tools that are kept on the engine, and each had a go at firing water out of the hose! In the second half of the Autumn Term, we have been looking at different celebrations around the world. We have enjoyed lots of messy (and glittery!) artwork, making some Bonfire Night rockets, Diwali lanterns and Danish birthday flags. Jess Lake

11

Pre-Prep Year 1 The rain held off and we had another magical visit to Arundel Castle. The children always respond so brilliantly to this visit – it’s a chance for them to physically see all the features of a castle that they have learnt about in the classroom. I am always impressed with the knowledge they retain and the questions they are able to answer.

The guides are always excellent, and this year’s was no exception. The children listened intently to her stories for each part of the castle. They especially enjoyed hearing about Queen Matilda and seeing the room where she stayed. The climb to the top of the keep is a long one but it’s always well worth it for the incredible view – every Year 1 child claimed they could see their house. After lunch we enjoyed a stroll around the beautiful gardens and were lucky enough to spot the terrapin that lives in one of the fountains – the highlight for some judging by what they wrote in their topic books on returning to school.

Karen Bentley

12

Pre-Prep

Year Two have been learning about the Arctic and Antarctic this term.

Here are some exerpts from Ernest Shackleton’s diary of the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole 1907ে 1909 as imagined by Year 2. ….Monday 16th October 1907 Yesterday I got all my pigs and the cat and men on board the Nimrod. It was hard work. We were excited and scared because it’s going to be a long journey.

It is January 1908, it took 6 months but we have finally made it. We got the car off but it started to freeze!

I am bored of reading books. It is now April, it’s been 3 months. I hate eating reindeer. My wife sent me a birthday card. That made me happy! I want to get set off but we can’t as the weather is too cold and windy it is ण90C. June 9th 1908 – we saw 3 leopard seals on the sea ice! We took a photograph of them.

One cheeky penguin went into our hut. Frank Wild had to shoo him away!

October 1908 – Finally we are on our way. Me and 3 men. Oh dear! All the ponies died but we have saved their meat to eat later. We are so tired we are trying to get to the South Pole. I am trying to keep my men cheerful.

Sadly Ernest Shackleton did not get to the South Pole. Year 2 enjoyed having a go at writing his diary.

Janet Maultby The Year Three and Year Two classes visited Pizza Express in Arundel to make their own pizzas. The restaurant staff taught them how to shape their dough, and spread the passata sauce, before adding handfuls of cheese! The children also got to sample some different toppings, learning which vitamins they contain and guessing how old olive trees grow to be.

The pizzas were enjoyed by all at lunch, with salad bar options on the side! A fun, informative and delicious morning was had by all.

Ben (Y3) said his favourite bit was getting flour everywhere! Freddie (Y3) said he liked spreading the pasta sauce on the base the most.

Year Three enjoyed their annual trip to the Haslemere Museum.

The museum is home to a real life mummy which the children were fascinated by, learning all about the 70 day mummification process and how to correctly remove organs from a body. The children then mummified a soft toy ে wrapping them carefully in bandages, adding amulets and designing death masks to finish the process. (No teddies were harmed in the making of these pieces!)

The children also enjoyed translating hieroglyphics and learning about how long the Ancient Egyptians lived for.

Blaize Anderson 13

Year 4

Year 4 have stepped back in time this term to learn about life in Tudor times. In lessons, they have visited the court of the young Henry VIII with feasts, music, jousting and dances.

The children followed Henry’s life as he married, divorced and beheaded some of his wives. They discovered how things changed under Elizabeth and found out some very interesting facts about her clothes and makeেup. Did you know that she was wearing an inch of makeেup when she died and owned over 2000 dresses! The children have dressed as Tudors, cooked Tudor food and even written with a quill and ink.

We visited the Mary Rose Museum where we took part in workshops and saw King Henry’s favourite ship. Jacques wrote: ‘I went to the Mary Rose Museum with my friends. It 14

was extra amazing! We shot a long bow that was bigger than me! We saw the Mary Rose itself. The ship was in half, but it was still incredible. We got to fire a replica gun and we had a 4D experience of finding the Mary Rose under the mud!’

At the Weald and Downland Museum the children found out about Tudor medicine, Tudor games and visited Bayleaf house. Lily wrote: ‘We joined a Tudor toy workshop. My favourite game was leapfrog. When you jumped over the other person it was hard because I had to go over a teacher.

When we got to the medicine workshop we made really gross medicine, some of which is in vegan Haribos!’ The children enjoyed a day in the woods with Tudor Forest school. They cooked pottage over the fire, baked bread and made their

own bow and arrow.

Our Tudor visitor told us about life in Elizabethan times and brought with him a selection of Tudor objects including a Bilbo catcher..

On our visit to St Nicholas’ Church in Arundel, the children learned how the church changed in Tudor times. They even had a chance to search for witches’ marks which trapped demons.

Janet White 15

Nativity The children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 have been busy this half term, preparing for their Nativity. This year, the story was called 'The Landlord's Cat'. At a certain Bethlehem inn, the landlord's cat is so fed up with the hectic atmosphere and being ignored by his owner, that he is on the verge of leaving town. However, with the arrival of Mary and Joseph in the stable, as well as wise men and shepherds, the cat (being a wily and intuitive creature) senses that something very special is about to happen. Naturally he is determined to find out just what it is! The children put a lot of hard work into making this such an enjoyable show, and they did brilliantly. A huge thank you to all the PreেPrep staff who also worked very hard to make everything run smoothly.

Thanks to Karen Bentley for practising lines with the children in Year 1 and for being in charge of the music and lights. Thanks to Janet Maultby and Sasha Metzger who had a lot of lines to practise with the children in Year 2! Thanks to Jess Lake who adapted the script and who organised the children in Reception. Thanks must also go to Emily Kirby and Michelle White for all of their help and to the estates team, who kindly put up and took down the stage for rehearsals and the show.

16

17

Sport

Cross Country Cross Country has always been a firm favourite at Dorset House and this year has been no exception. The children have been training hard in both lessons (Fitness Fridays) and Friday morning running club. The teams have produced some fantastic results.

The season started off with Year 3-8 travelling to Seaford for their annual competition. With only one week at school, the children had to rely on their fitness they had maintained over the summer holidays.

All of the children excelled themselves, running with confidence and representing the school superbly.

In Year 3 and 4, our highest ranked pupil was Henry, who placed 4th in his age category. In Year 5 and 6, we gained four medals overall. Sam in Year 6 placed 1st, Daniel in Year 6 placed 6th, Mills in Year 5 placed 2nd and Sophie in Year 5 placed 6th. In Year 7 and 8, Olivia in Year 8 placed 6th.

On Monday 6th November, the U8-U13 travelled to Handcross for their second cross country fixture. The distance was slightly further than normal; however, this did not faze the children.

Our highest scoring individuals were Mills in Year 5, placing 3rd and Stanley in Year 5 placing 2nd. The boys U11 team also placed 1st out of seven schools and the U13 boys placed 3rd.

A more recent introduction is the cross-country league, open to children in Year 3-8. With one race a month held on the school site, the children race to achieve a personal best and improve their time. Our fastest and most improved runners for the Autumn term are as follows: 18

Fastest U8 U9 U10 U11 U12 Most Improved U8 U9 U10 U12

Henry Cleghorn and Lottie Lewis Benji Kirkham and Saskia Bladd-Symms Roddy Cleghorn and Mills Sirett Sam Crowley Thomas Sirett Edie Calland Benji Kirkham and Saskia Bladd-Symms Roddy Cleghorn and Mills Sirett Thomas Sirett

Hockey It has been a busy hockey season with a new ‘four-season’ sporting year for the girls. They have tried to fit in as much hockey as possible before changing to netball but it hasn’t been easy with so much poor weather.

Sport U13A The U13As have had a good season and have seen real improvement as the weeks have gone by. They have had some great wins against new opponents including Lambrook and St Edmund’s, winning 2 matches and narrowly losing their last match. There was a particularly exciting and tense game against Duke of Kent which finished in a 2-2 draw. Special mention should go to Florence Evans, who played up in the U13A team as the first team goalkeeper.

U13A Player of the Season is Sophia Bassett with Harriet Howgate being named as Most Improved Player.

U13B It has been a successful season for the U13B’s only losing in one match across the whole term.

After drawing their first match, they have gone from strength to strength and have really gelled as a team, with the girls finding their roles within the team. They have had some brilliant wins including against Lancing Prep at Worthing, Cottesmore, St Edmund’s and finishing the season with a great 4 -1 win against Pennthorpe. I am very pleased and impressed to say that the girls were only defeated in one match out of nine this season, an amazing achievement against some tough competition.

This term the U13B Most Improved player is Lilla Skinner with Player of the Season presented to Anna Tustin.

U11 The U11s have had a successful hockey season with a mixture of results but they have really risen to the challenge of playing on a larger astro.

They started the season with a comfortable 2-0 win against 19

Sport

Windlesham and went on to beat a strong Seaford side 4-0. A special mention goes to Sophie Ratcliffe, Minnie Andrews, Mills Sirett and Beau Black who, across the season, played up into the U11 side. U11 Most Improved player was awarded to Coco Goss with Player of the Season awarded to Jessie Tustin.

U10 The U10s started the season off with a bang with a tournament at Ardingly, winning two matches and drawing two. They faced some tough competition over the term and have 20

made good progress, working well as a team and supporting each other. A huge well done should go to Mezzie Hicks, Amy Stanyer and Grace Johnston who only picked up a hockey stick in September, making excellent progress having been thrown straight into matches. The U10 Most Improved player has been awarded to Amy Stanyer with Player of the Season awarded to Sophie Ratcliffe.

Netball The U13A girls started their netball season off with a bang after beating Lancing Prep at Worthing 7-6, followed by an impressive 23-2 win to Shoreham College. A great team effort and we are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds.

The U13B team have started the netball season well with a competitive game at Lancing Prep at Worthing and a very close loss to Shoreham College. The girls led for the whole match but sadly lost in the last 30

Sport

seconds of the game – it was a nailbiter! A super effort and an exciting start to the season.

The U11s have also had an excellent start to the netball season with an impressive 14-8 win over Lancing Prep at Worthing followed by success in the Oakwood Netball Tournament, winning two, drawing two and losing in just one match.

The U10s have started off their netball season with great success, coming 3rd in the Oakwood Netball Tournament and 7th in the Westbourne Tournament. They faced tough competition, including Highfield and Brookham, Cranleigh and Amesbury.

U8s and U9s The U8s and U9s have had a busy, exciting season. They have played a combination of hockey and netball and have been highly successful. A special mention must go to the U8s who have taken on two new sports with great enthusiasm and taken competitive matches in their stride.

They started the season with a successful hockey festival at Farlington. Both teams claimed wins against Lancing Prep at Hove, Brighton Girls, Lancing Prep at Worthing and Westbourne The U9 hockey Player of the Season was presented to Saskia BladdSymms and Most Improved player was awarded to Lily Winter. The U8 Player of the Season was awarded to Maia Valeriani-Haverhals and the Most Improved player was Lottie Lewis.

The U8s started their netball season off well with a win over Brighton Girls playing many little matches.

Towards the end of the term the U8 girls played a triangular at Duke of Kent, winning 7-0 with many members of their staff and parents commenting on how they couldn’t believe they were only Year 3s! They are really shaping up to be a superb little netball team. The U9s have continued their great success from last season with

wins so far over Great Ballard and a superb effort at the Oakwood Netball Festival, winning three matches, drawing four and losing just one.

Well done girls, what a great term!

Ali Fentiman

Children in Years 3 to 8 were lucky to be visited by Lindsay Filiata, Brighton College Head of Netball, and Sam Evans, Rugby Coach and Head of Sport Outreach, who delivered masterclasses in both sports.

21

Sport

Football The First team had a mixed season of results. The boys managed to produce some victories against Sompting Abbotts, Great Ballard and finished the season off by winning the Pennthorpe tournament. The boys achieved 13/15 points, defeating Pennthorpe, Belmont, Barrow Hills, Farlington and drew against Copthorne. Notable performances were from Jensen Bladd-Symms who pulled off several reflex saves throughout the season, Henry Godfrey and Jackson Black with hardworking performances having to play in defence, midfield and as a forward.

The Colts A enjoyed a fantastic season and contained a squad of players with a wealth of talent. They played some entertaining football with the emphasis on possession football and it was very successful. In fact, the only matches they lost were in the tournaments they took part in, one of which they finished as runners up in Benji Toynbee provided the reassurance everyone wants from a 24

goalkeeper, playing out from the back to the defence consisting of the reliable Jack Posnett, calm Oscar Bassett and industrious Sam Richardson. Harry Redgrove played selflessly up front, scoring a few goals but assisting many others. Stanley Winter and Roddy Cleghorn both showed their potential, playing up a year, with confidence and making significant contributions. However, the catalyst for many victories was Sam Crowley with his incredible dribbling skills and clinical finishing.

He smashed the DH goal-scoring record with an amazing tally of 36 goals. Overall, it really was a pleasure to watch them play but for me the most satisfying results were the wins against Hurst, Handcross Park and Westbourne House.

The Colts B produced some great results this season and contained some strong players. There were wins against Hurst, Westbourne, Pennthorpe, Belmont, Sompting Abbotts and Conifers. Daniel Sherwell was the engine room for theteam, with Edward Greatorex

and Tommy Davies providing the finishing touches. Mention should also go to Jack Stevenson for the improvement he made throughout.

The Colts C put in a lot of effort to improve their team dynamics, skills and tactics, which resulted in some great performances on the field. A special shoutout goes to their undefeated run in all matches of the Handcross Park tournament. Standout performances came from Billy Buxton and Henry Annison. Well done to the whole team for a successful season.

The U9As grew in confidence as the season progressed. Hard-fought matches against Westbourne, Handcross, Pennthorpe and Farlington ended in narrow defeat but the potential in this side was clear.

The boys rounded the season off with a fine victory at Seaford College. The team included 4 Year 3 boys: Edward Gimson, Henry Cleghorn, Sebastian Donaldson and Freddie Buxton. All four boys contributed with battling performances and did not look out of place against the challenging opponents. Charlie Morey scored and assisted many vital goals, Michael Donawa proved to be the utility man, from demonstrating reflex saves to dribbling the length of the pitch before scoring and Cameron Rae was the rock at the back- there was nothing getting through him! The rest of the U9s worked well this term, with a particular focus on developing their key skills such as dribbling and passing. The boys have stayed positive throughout the season no matter the outcome.

Sport They grew with confidence and ability as the season progressed, producing some great results against Pennthorpe and Seaford. From Year 4 Atticus van den Bergh and Owen Parker showed their potential and from Year 3, Ben Richardson and Oliver Mair played some strong attacking football and scored some great goals.

Greg Weaver

Ahead of the rugby season, we welcomed Sam Evans, Rugby Coach and Head of Sport Outreach, who delivered a masterclasses in Rugby.

Despite the inclement weather, the children had a great time honing their skills and the boys reported that they loved practising their ‘Goosey’ step (a move to throw off their defender!), as demonstrated by Sam on the rugby pitch.

23

Art and DT It seems a long time ago when we started the Autumn term with art lessons outdoors in the Walled Garden and Tipi, with artwork inspired by land artist Andy Goldsworthy and making wild bird seed fat balls for the Business Enterprise project. Your children have been industrious:

•

Creating Tudor portraits as part of the Year 4 topic and embellishing their paintings with gems and lace.

•

Learning how to make their own scraper boards in Year 5, in addition to learning about different artists - Miro, Kandinsky, Klee and Matisse.

•

Bringing a touch of sunshine on wintery days, Year 6 have been busy constructing three-dimensional tropical birds.

•

Year 7 have been learning how to use the lino cutting tools and printing press.

•

Year 8 have been cutting and tearing up a lot of paper to creatively assemble their own animal collages inspired by the artist Peter Clark. Thank to parents who donated magazines, maps and plans for the Year 8 project.

Carly Harrison

24

Art and DT

Mrs Harrison also worked with the Parents’ Association to organise a popcorn box design competition. We had nearly 50 entries from across the Year groups and it was a hard to choose the winners but in the end, there were two standout entries from Marlowe Anstee (Year 3) and Lucas SpellmanWelsh (Year 7). Their designs were printed on boxes and all the children enjoyed popcorn and a movie one Friday afternoon.

25

Music As I write, we are between the Christmas Concert and the Carol Service. Thinking back to our visit to King Edward’s with orchestral players in Year 5 and 6 for a day of Disney themed music, the Lancing Choral Day with our new choristers seems like an awfully long time ago! Both were fantastic experiences with, in each case, the children performing with over 50 people. We also invited Westbourne’s Swing Band over for a collaboration with our own group. Over the course of the afternoon we worked on ‘Moanin’ and ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ and performed this to the Prep school and parents.

We’ve had the Informal Concert series for Years 1-4 over several weeks either side of half-term. It was Year 1’s first concert, and Year 3’s first time playing their instruments to everyone. In the case of Year 4 , it was lovely to see the progress made of the past year.

We’ve also had a day of ABRSM music exams and we are still awaiting the results. Poppy Stevenson and Hermione Goss are particularly keen to know how they got on, having done two exams each!

So, to that concert I mentioned earlier, the Christmas one, in November… A packed barn of parents fuelled with mulled wine and mince pies were ready to sing some carols and be entertained. Performance highlights included the Swing Band’s ‘White Christmas, the choir’s rendition of ‘The Shepherds Sing’, a recent Chilcott composition accompanied by soprano sax. There were three stunning solos from: Layla Owens, singing the classic ‘O Holy Night’; Dylan Baldwin’s rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Chanson Naplitaine on the trumpet, and Francesca Morris-Warburton summoning her inner Bublé for a fantastic version of ‘White Christmas’.

The candle-lit Christingle for the Pre-Prep was next, and was a lovely opportunity for the younger children to perform, led by Year 3.

We have been treated to carols at breaktimes too, 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!

The Carol Service promises to be a lovely occasion too – the whole school community gathered at St. Nicholas’ Church in Arundel, led by the choir, gets us all in the Christmas spirit.

Jason Marconi 26

Music

27

Bury Manor Pre-School We began the term by learning about the changes in the season and had many happy trips out to the woods collecting conkers and acorns, sticks and leaves to take back to school to use in our crafts.

We had a special visit from a craft teacher who taught us how to make clay hedgehogs and the following day from Graham with his hedgehog ‘Harry’ who we were allowed to stroke after learning lots of interesting facts about hedgehogs.

We ended the first half term celebrating Harvest with both preschools coming together to enjoy the harvest cookies that the children had made, singing harvest songs and making Autumn Crowns and Pumpkin Balloons.

The children collected many tiny things for their raisin box fill – the most collected items numbered 53 with the prize going to Savannah with 53 items, in second place Florence with 38 items closely followed by Bertie with 36 items!

The unseasonably wet weather has meant that the children are now a dab hand at putting on and taking off their muddy puddle suits and they have absolutely loved all of the puddles and streams the rain has created!

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 I hope you all managed to find time to look through your children’s craft bags and to find space to hang their many Christmas decorations!

With best wishes for a very happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

Tracey Brooks 28

Boarding Boarding is an exciting activity which enables children to have fun, form new friendships, and also do more music practice!

This term there have been a multitude of things going on which have included some Tuesday trips: going to football matches and having supper there and returning to the boarding house for a good night’s rest!

As well as this, Wednesday nights have turned into a baking night where every week we bake a different delicious treat that is always worth the wait!

In the first half of term, we had our second Friday night boarding special where we went out to Clip n’ Climb which was a very lively experience!

We then went to the golden arches for supper which I’m sure lots of people enjoyed!

Finally on the 5th of December, we held our Boarders’ Party where we went ice skating and to see the pantomime, ‘Sleeping Beauty.’

Cosmo le Page - Head of Boarding `Trip Tuesdays’ have proved a big hit - with visits to the football at Worthing. Please speak to Mr Marconi if you would like information about boarding.

29

Other News Alumni Update

We always like to receive news of our alumni and this term, we heard from Brighton College about the success of three of former pupils this summer in the BOWS Cricket Festival.

The College had the pleasure of hosting the matches this year at the idyllic Preston Nomads Cricket Club. The festival is notorious for having future internationals playing for each school which include Brighton College, Oakham, Wellington, and Sedbergh.

Out of the 1st XI, there was no other prep school that made more contributions with the bat and ball than Dorset House.

Charlie Woodage opened the batting and has been in superb form all year. Younger brother, Jack Woodage, was also in the 1st XI and should be incredibly proud of his contributions as he was only in Year 11. Finally, and certainly not least, Tom Saunders has been opening the bowling for the past two years with great success.

We also heard from Bryanston regarding Xander Boyce who left DH in the summer of 2022: Before the new academic year begins, I thought I should write to you to confirm the wonderful news that Xander has been awarded an internal Sports Scholarship.

Xander was put forward by the Director of Sport and his application was supported by his tutor and his Housemaster.

His references were then put forward to the internal scholarship panel who awarded him the scholarship.

Internal scholarships were introduced last year in order to recognise and reward pupils who have been outstanding in their commitment and contribution since arriving at Bryanston. They are the most prestigious awards that any Bryanston pupil can be given in their time at the school and Xander will now join the Sports Scholarship programme, which is designed to give scholars in this area every chance to develop their talents to the full.

Many congratulations to Xander ण he is a very worthy recipient of this prestigious award and I have no doubt that he will continue to flourish and excel at Bryanston.

30

Farewell and Thank You!

It is always sad to have to say, `goodbye’ to our Gap students as they head off at the end of the autumn term this year more than ever as Abbey Bevan, Matt Lusted and Julia Powell-Davies have been exceptional. They have worked hard and made an impression on the whole DH community. Here are a few words from them: We would like to thank the DH community for the support we received this past year. Our time in the UK has been rewarding and we appreciate all the opportunities that have been presented to us. We are also proud of what we've accomplished, settling into a new country, creating exciting memories and gaining life experiences. We will treasure our time here and we will continue to look fondly at our adventures. We are so grateful to have met you all and to have lived in this lovely part of the world.

We will miss you all very much!

From the Gaps of 2023, Abbey, Julia and Matt

Other News swimming; something I continue to help with during school holidays.

I am a passionate mathematician and sincerely hope that I will be able to make the subject engaging and accessible for all. This will include providing support and extension to those who require it, in the form of optional dropणin sessions and some targeted interventions throughout the year.

LOCOG to court and raising the equality issues within the Olympics.

My proudest sporting achievements are being the first women to paddle 125 miles in a high kneeling canoe and being the furthest women in Ninja Warrior Series 2 . People told me it was not possible to paddle the race in a canoe and I loved proving them wrong!

In more recent years, I enjoy obstacle course racing, open water swimming, trail running and randomly, bird watching!

Welcome

This term, we have been delighted to welcome Ruth BurtonেHaigh, our new Head of Maths and Director of Studies. Here, Ruth introduces herself: I wanted to write and introduce myself and explain a little about my background and what I hope to achieve at DH. I have taken over as Head of Maths and as Director of Studies, roles which will see me work very closely with Laura Hutchings (Senior Deputy), Adam Bardouleau (Pastoral Lead), Heads of Department and PreणPrep staff. Most recently I have been working as Head of Boarding and Maths and teacher at another Prep school prior to which, I worked in several other schools with both Prep and Senior ages. I have been fortunate enough to have had opportunities to visit several schools overseas and volunteer in two specialist schools for children with additional needs. For many years I have also been involved with teaching and coaching

We also welcome Samantha Rippington who joins us as Girls’ Games and PE teacher. Here is her introduction: I loved PE at school and trying out lots of new sports to see which ones I enjoyed.

My aim is to pass on my love for exercise to the children and give them as many sporting opportunities as possible. In the 10 years I was competing, I was keen to promote women’s canoeing to the younger generation and was a fundamental part of getting women’s canoeing into the Olympics, taking

Old girl, Eliza Fearon travelled to Uganda to take aid that was kindly donated by DH parents to the charity, `Bags of Support’.

The charity used funds to build a house for the Batwa people .

Eliza and her brother Jacob, (a DH old boy) spent time teaching the children about their schools and learning lots of songs in return.

Jacob organised a football match with lots of kit donated by Worth. Most boys didn’t have boots and 2 boys shared ে I boot each!

31

Other News

Sophie Ratcliffe (Year 5) played tennis all over the country during the summer with some notable achievements. She finally got a place in a National Grade 2 at Aldershot and came joint 17th. She also got a place in qualifying for her first National Grade 1 in Nottingham; sadly she didn't get a place in the main draw but came joint 17th overall.

For the third year in a row, she won the Sussex County Singles Championships and this year also won the doubles.

She also came 1st in the Matthews Tennis Coaching Green Tour, winning a new racket. Sophie barely dropped a game, winning 86 games and losing only 3!

Finally, she won the ladies Jo Pratt singles competition at Billingshurst, despite playing women who were many years older!

From 1st January, she can play up to 16U girls which opens up a lot more opportunities which is very exciting.

32

Layla Owens (Year 8) has taken part in two Chichester Festival Theatre productions. Here, she describes her adventures: ‘I was in a Chichester Festival Theatre production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at West Dean Gardens. It was a promenade performance ে moving around the beautiful gardens. I played the part of Cobweb ে one of Titania’s fairies. There were eighteen performances in total and it was a magical experience.

I have been in the youth group for two years and this Christmas, I am in another show ে the ‘Jungle Book’ which is at Chichester Festival Theatre. The performers range in age from ten to twentyেfive and overall, it promises to be a thrilling experience.

James Ratcliffe (Year 7) has been playing chess competitions weekly and is now ranked 78th nationally in Rapid play for 11 year olds and will rise further with the next ratings update. He's had some great results: Kensington FIDE Rapid Chess Competition ে 2nd Sussex County Chess Championships 2nd Wey Valley Winter Rapidplay competition ে 1st National Chess Championships in Oxford playing for Sussex U12 A Team ে 3rd 16th West Surrey Rapid Play Competition ে 1st Poplar Chess competition ( Adults ) 1st ( Winning £70 ) Sussex Junior Chess Grand Prix Worth 4th Sussex Junior Chess U18 Grand Prix Crowborough ে 2nd Surrey 9 Rounds Blitz ে 2nd 10th CCS chess tournament ে 5th Poplar Rapid Chess Tournament ে 5th

Other News

During a recent visit to the Legoland Hotel a chance comment by a staff member, that if he made any more good builds they wouldn't dismantle them at the end of the day, resulted in Lucas Spellman–Welsh (Year 7) taking this as a challenge and deciding to build the Legoland mascot 'Olly the Dragon'. Using just a picture, with help finding pieces from parents and Lego team members, three hours later, to the astonishment of a procession of Hotel staff and guests, Olly was finished. The Duty Manager appeared saying they had never seen anyone build anything like it before and presented Lucas with a large box of Lego In exchange for Olly who now resides in the Legoland Hotel office with a promise that he would be securely glued (kragled!) and kept on display.

Amy Stanyer, who joined Year 5 in September, was challenged by her swimming coach, to swim a mile in an hour. She accepted the challenge and chose to raise money for Chestnut Tree House at the same time.

Amy smashed the target - completing the distance in 55 minutes!

Well done, Amy, and congratulations on raising over £500 for your chosen charity.

Sebastian Donaldson in Year 3 is a keen member of Pulborough Rugby Club and so he was thrilled to win the ‘Player of the Week’ award in November.

Many DH children belong to sports’clubs outside school and we are always keen to feature their achievements, either in the newsletter or on social media - so do send us updates!

We are grateful to the Parents’ Association for the gift of bench coats for the girls’ and boys’ teams.

They have been well used this term!

It has been good to see the Dorset House gazebos in use at Pulborough Rugby Club.

33

Other News

The equestrian team had a fantastic start to this term’s shows with two new members Maia ValerianiHaverhals (Year 3) and Ophelia Gould (Reception). They have all joined in and had fun at the shows together. They achieved places at the regionals which was fantastic and getting their ticket to Nationals in August as a team, with Archie Crumley (Year 1) gaining an individual slot, is amazing!.

Sam Crowley (Year 6) and Thomas Sirrett have put in some very strong rounds for DH this term. Well done to them!

Ettie Harding (Year 5) had a flying start at the Hurst Inter-Schools show.

Cameron Rae (Year 4) has been a part of the team at DH for a few years but is having a little break to concentrate on other sports and we wish him all the best luck. Thank you for being a cracking team member, Cameron.

Charlotte Crumley 34

It has been another busy term on the activities front with the addition of a couple of exciting new clubs.

Clive Richardson, (previously of our Estates team), returned to DH to impart his knowledge with a `Stuff You Need to Know’ course.

Children in Years 5 - 8 learnt about electricity (how to wire a plug; change a fuse; use a generator); lawn mower and bike maintenance; how to change a car wheel; plumbing and building a soap box racer. The children had great fun learning about these practical life skills and seeing Clive back at DH. The other hugely popular addition was Target Shooting - a wonderfully inclusive sport as it does not require speed or strength. It promotes concentration, self-discipline and perseverance and helps to boost confidence and self-esteem. Most importantly, the children not only enjoyed it, they proved to be rather good at it, to boot! Sarah Posnett

Clive Richardson shares practical skills with pupils at his, `Stuff You Need to Know’ Club.

Parents’ Page Wow! What a fantastic start the PA have had to the academic year.

To start off the term, we were thrilled to support the teaching staff at Headmasters Drinks, meeting some parents new to the school. This is where we outlined our plan for the year, to bring the school and parents together to feel more of a DH community - aka… ‘cross pollination!’

DH Bonfire Night celebrations proved to be a fantastic way to do just that, with the school and PA joining forces providing games and fireworks.

It really was a fun evening.

As we’ve said before, our biggest event this year was our Hollywood party and it didn’t disappoint.

The children were also involved by designing the popcorn boxes for the party and having their own movie afternoon the week before.

Our online auction was rolled out on the run-up to the party and finished off on the party night by our fabulous celebrity auctioneer who really got the event going.

It was a amazing see so many parents and teachers dressed up and having fun, it really was a fantastic evening.

The final total for the Hollywood party has not been determined yet but the Auction has raised a staggering £14k towards the resurfacing of our school Astro., which we are thrilled about!

To all of you that came to the party and took part in the auction, many thanks for your support. Special thanks go to all those who donated lots for the auction and the Heerema family for the generous gift of Nyetimber which ensured a sparkling start to the party. We have spoken a lot about how the resurfacing of the Astro is our main fundraising focus this year, but we have been

supporting some smaller projects around the school.

This term we have purchased some new mud kitchens for Forest School and the children now have DH bench coats for matches which will keep them warm and dry and also look great when the children are representing the school in cross country or other tournaments.

We obviously couldn’t do any of this without our fantastic PA team behind us, who work incredibly hard behind the scenes to get the events set up. So a huge thank you to them for all the organising they do!

We’re looking forward to seeing you in 2024 for more exciting events, starting with the children’s disco in January and the Quiz Night in March.

In the meantime, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Dolly Waddell and Jo Winter Co-Chairs of the PA 35

OPEN MORNING

For news updates, please visit:

FRIDAY 15th March 2024 10.00am–12 Noon

@DorsetHouseSch dorsethouseschool Dorset House School

DORSET HOUSE SCHOOL The Manor, Church Lane, Bury, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 1PB Headmaster: Matt Thomas Med BA Ed (Hons) FRGS

• Minibus pick-ups available • Day and flexi-boarding Prep School for children from Reception to Year 8 • ‘Outstanding’ Pre-School on site for children from 2

Telephone: 01798 831456 email: info@dorsethouseschool.com www.dorsethouseschool.com