The Whole School Photograph - a celebration of who we are as a school.
There is something truly special about the whole school photograph. It is more than just a picture, it is a snapshot of a moment in time when everyone in our school community comes together.
As we gather on the front lawn, lining up in year groups, organising into height order, checking ties, tucking in shirts and sorting unruly hair, the air buzzes with excitement. You can hear the laughter, see the smiles and feel the pride as we all become part of one big family in that single frame.
The whole school photograph captures more than faces; it captures memories. Years from now, children and staff will look back at this picture and remember the faces and the special moments they shared. It is a timeless reminder that, no matter where life takes us, we were once part of a very special community, full of support, friendship and joy.
It is a celebration of who we are as a school.
Joff
Pre Prep
Nicky Whittaker - Head of Pre-Prep
It has been a busy half term, with an increased pace over the past few weeks to ensure that we are ready for our exciting new beginning in September. It was wonderful to meet parents and guardians for drinks on Wednesday evening and to listen to the welcome given by Mark Semmence, Head of Repton School, in which he outlined the wealth of opportunities for our pupils which will result from the merger, and the strength of our position as a school.
We are also celebrating more wonderful news, and I would like to congratulate Sarah Wolford and her fantastic Nursery and Kindergarten team on scooping a “Top 20 Award for 2025” from the Day Nurseries Group. Little Vines Nursery was chosen from a total of nearly 2500 nurseries across the Southeastern region; this reflects the outstanding care, nurture and incredible educational opportunities which Sarah and her team provide every single day. I never fail to be delighted with the rich learning environment Nursery and Kindergarten offer, and the dedication of the practitioners to ensuring the very best outcomes for all children.
Nursery - Walking Through The Jungle!
Sarah Wolford - Head of Nursery & Kindergarten
'Walking through the Jungle, what do you see?' This was the big question in the Nursery this week as we read this book by Stella Blackstone. Children’s books are more than just stories; they are a gateway to understanding the world and offer so many learning opportunities.
The children created animal masks and off we went to explore the school grounds with our binoculars and a sense of curiosity and adventure. You wouldn’t believe it, but lo and behold, right here in the amazing grounds of Vinehall we discovered crocodiles, elephants and many more jungle animals. Each day at Little Vines is an adventure waiting to happen!
Kindergarten
Cathy Fuggle - Kindergarten Teacher
In our final week on transport Kindergarten have been learning about emergency vehicles. We have been exploring different types of emergency vehicles and discussing things they have in common, such as sirens on the top, bright markings and fluorescent patterns. We have looked at all sorts of emergency vehicles - from fire engines to lifeboats to mountain rescue trucks - and the children have been matching the officers with their emergency vehicles and finding out more about their roles. Anya M brought in a fantastic book on emergency vehicles to accompany our learning this week and we learned that her clever uncle was in fact the author!
We have also had great fun learning our numbers by putting out houses on fire using careful counting, numeral recognition and a fun squirty gun! Our budding police officers have been making their own police badges and practising carefully writing their names. We talked about how important it is to identify yourself as an emergency officer and how they must wear name badges in addition to their uniform. In our role play area our busy police officers have been answering calls and despatching the most appropriate emergency vehicle to the scene.
It has been an exciting week, and we cannot wait for our visit from a real fire engine and firefighters next term!
Have a wonderful half term everyone and we look forward to more exciting learning next term.
Reception
Holly Newton - Reception Teacher
Reading is very much at the heart of the curriculum in Reception. Listening to stories, poems, rhymes, and non fiction material feeds the children’s imagination, enhances their vocabulary and further develops their comprehension. Our wonderful Pre-Prep library provides the children with a diverse collection of books and encourages the children’s imagination to explore different genres and interests. They very much enjoy their library time.
This week we have been discussing the differences between story books and non fiction and used non fiction texts to find out about the life cycle of a butterfly. We used the information to make a paper plate collage showing the different stages and carefully cut labels to reflect what was happening at each level of development.
We also made minibeast stained-glass windows. We found that light travels through sellophane but that it does not travel through the black card. Aren’t our minibeasts beautiful?
In Maths we have been learning that when we rotate a shape, it is still the same shape but that it might look different because it has been rotated. We used pattern blocks to copy some pictures and talked about how many of the shapes needing rotating to fit!
Year 1
Jacklyn Garwood - Year 1 Teacher
It was a lovely end to our topic of ‘United’ this week as the children made final preparations for the Year 1 tea party! The smell of delicious baking filled the Pre-Prep, as the children proudly rolled and twisted their cheese straws into shape. Beautiful wildflowers from the Vinehall grounds were arranged most elegantly into their decoupage vases making the most stunning centre pieces! The children set the table with their William Morris printed placemats ready for their guests to arrive. The event was a big success, as the children shared the research they did over the term and sang their United Kingdom song to their guests. The children had the most polite manners as they served their guests tea and cakes. Well done children!
Year 2
Louise Hawtin - Year 2 Teacher
To finish our topic 'Brilliant Bodies', Year 2 made nutritious fruit smoothies. The children worked together like Billy Bee to choose their ingredients, before following the instructions to wash, chop, measure and blend everything together. They then thought of tantalising names and designed bright, colourful packaging, before sharing them with their parents. All the smoothies were delicious and we are grateful to the parents who joined us and gave honest (but positive!) feedback.
Year 3 - Bean Seedling Investigation Closure
Carina Everist - Year 3 Teacher & Religious Studies Teacher Years 3-6
This week saw the culmination of the work Year 3 have been carrying out with bean seedlings, and they planted any that had survived with Lou Waters. They have collaborated well, watering, measuring and observing changes. Some of them drew bar charts showing how important different requirements have affected their health and growth. Persie L drew a clear diagram showing how 'XYLEM' transports water. White tulips became black, red and green overnight!
Year 3 - Fun on the Floor!
Year 3 have been testing out Floor Desks as an alternative to conventional seating. Now we can stand at the vertical whiteboards or sit on the floor! As we know, 'one size does not always fit all'.
Year 3 – Forest School
Year 3 have had a wonderful time over the year with Amy and Laura in Forest School. They have loved every minute of their learning time in the woods. This week they enjoyed a group game of Pelmanism, foraging for nettles for our tea, painting and craft activities, hammering, sawing and fire steels, den making, puppet shows, shop and kitchen creations! For their break they toasted marshmallows on the fire before making them into s'mores and washing them down with nettle tea (apparently beneficial for hay fever sufferers). The session ended with a Ninja game involving a water pistol and a blindfold and the usual, ever popular Hawkeye 360.
Year 4 – English
Louise Barrett - Head of Juniors
The Year 4s worked really hard in groups to create a non-chronologic report about an eco house they designed. They had some great ideas and were very collaborative.
Year 6 - Hands on History
Ivy G, 6PW
On Thursday last week, Hands On History came to Vinehall to tell Year 6 all about World War I. They began by telling us about the clothes the soldiers wore. They got one of my classmates to put on the full uniform. Apparently, it was very hot and itchy. After that, we got into groups of three and each group was given something they might have used in the war. These mystery objects were fascinating. My team's was a grenade on a fat stick. Then they went around explaining what these things were used for. We then went outside to hear what it would have sound like on the battlefield. The Hands On History teacher made a sound with an air raid siren, which sounded like a plane and then he shot a pistol. (He was firing blanks but they sounded very loud!) Then we went back inside and learnt all about Morse Code. This was my favourite activity. We got to use torches in the dark to show the Morse Code whilst our partners had to write down and try to figure out the messages we were sending. Finally, they talked to us about how letters were delivered using carrier pigeons! Cool, right? Apparently, the pigeons were really smart and knew how to deliver accurately. It was a fascinating workshop!
Year 8 – Forest School
Ally Linney - Deputy Head (Pastoral)
8L and Ms Linney had a lovely session in the woods with Amy and Laura last week. A creative group, our senior pupils tapped into their inner child once more, as they love the mud kitchen! They also enjoyed the puppet theatre that was used by Reception earlier in the day. Celebrating the final vestiges of childhood ahead of adolescence is an aspect of Vinehall life that we promote (even though our dear adolescents may protest at times).
8L also enjoyed the hammocks (as did Ms Linney), the tight rope walking, making and tasting nettle tea, and Ms Linney had a go at making a dandelion stem chain/bracelet!
We had a wonderful afternoon, as always, and extend our warm thanks to Amy and Laura.
Maths
Kevin Higginson - Head of Mathematics & Head of Assessment and Learning
On 1st May , our Year 8, Year 7 and some Year 6 took on the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge for Year 8 pupils and below. The competition attracts around 200,000 pupils across the globe, with the top 50% awarded a Bronze certificate, top 25% a Silver certificate and the top 8% a Gold certificate. Vinehall pupils performed exceedingly well, achieving three Gold, five Silver and nine Bronze.
Two of our pupils, Act C (Best in School) and MP T were also invited to the next round of the competition, The Junior Kangaroo, (for the top 5% of entrants).
Sport
Matt McKinnon - Director of Sport & Head of Co-Curricular
This week, we faced the unenviable task of deciding whether or not cricket fixtures should proceed amidst uncertain weather conditions. Unfortunately, the call made turned out to be less than ideal. We appreciate everyone's understanding; however, it did allow and opportunity for all of Year 5 to 8 to walk/run the cross country course!
The Year 3 & 4s did get to play their cricket fixtures on Thursday afternoon against Claremont and Bede's. It was wonderful to see all the pitches being used and the steady progress being made by both year groups.
As you receive Vinelines, the Great House Run will be in full flow. We look forward to sharing the results and announcing which house came out top in the next issue.
Golf and Tennis Morning
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the golf and tennis morning last week. Your participation and enthusiasm made the event a great success!
The second half of term promises to be just as busy, with athletics events, cricket fixtures and the all important Pre-Prep Sports Day on Friday 20th June followed by the Prep Sports Day on Saturday 21st June. I hope you all have a restful half term break and I look forward to seeing you at an event soon.
Boarding
Katherine Kirkwood – Head of Boarding
Saturday morning was taken up with the usual activities and some children joined in with the golf and tennis day. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon and then went to Sainsbury's to stock up on tuck for the all-important Eurovision party. The boarders were allowed to bring mattresses and duvets into the Common Room and spent the evening together eating sweets and enjoying the performances. It was a late night but great fun, although the gappers faded long before the children.
On Sunday morning some of the girls decided to bake a lovely chocolate brownie cake and decorated it with smartie flowers. Despite the chilly wind, we spent the afternoon enjoying ice cream at Bewl Water and then played Laser Tag for an hour. We returned to school very excited and very hungry.