Prep School Newsletter Friday 16 May 2025

What happened in School this week?

Orchestra Day at Benenden – A Musical Triumph

Prep School music students had a brilliant day of music-making at Benenden School on Tuesday 13 May. Over a hundred young musicians from schools across Kent came together to form a large combined orchestra, learning and performing two exciting pieces – Stravinsky’s lively Galop and a jazz favourite, Manhattan Skyline.

Our pupils played beautifully, showing great focus and teamwork as they worked alongside children from other schools. The final performance was a real triumph and a proud moment for all involved. It was clear the inspiration didn’t end there – on the journey home, staff were treated to an impromptu vocal rendition of Holst’s Mars! A truly memorable day of music and fun. Ms Bruce

Reception

This week, the children in Reception have continued their topic work on sunflowers. They have labelled the different parts of a sunflower and discussed the five things that seeds and bulbs need in order to grow. It has been so exciting to see our sunflowers starting to grow! Looking at Van Gough’s Sunflowers has inspired our own sunflower paintings this week too.

Year 1 and 2 - out and about at Chatham Dockyards

Year 1 and 2 had a great adventure at Chatham Dockyards! We were met by Pirate Tracy who said that if we proved ourselves to be excellent pirates, she would name her ship after Captain Playfoot and the children could be her crew. If not, we'd have to walk the plank! Luckily we've had lots of practise recently and proved that we were knowledgeable, ferocious and great at singing. She told us lots of stories of pirates, treasure hunting and adventures on the seven seas.

After some time spent in the new Brickworks exhibition, spotting different Lego shipwrecks, we had a quick lunch and set off for the Ropery. Here we were taught about the history of rope making and all had a go at spinning a length of rope together, each taking a turn to make a skipping rope which we bought back to school. We were also lucky enough to spot them filming for the Call the Midwife Christmas special!

Our last activity was visiting the lifeboat shed, where we learnt about the history and development of the lifeboat and famous rescues around the country. We had such a great day, and the children were fantastic from start to finish!

Year 3

In maths, Year 3 have been investigating right angles. We used our friendly right angle monster to go around the classroom to find and record objects that have right angles in them. We also learnt that one right angle is a quarter turn, two right angles are a half turn, three right angles are three quarters of a turn and four right angles are a whole turn. Year 3 enjoyed a Simon Says game where they had to turn the right number of turns and also go in the right direction! Miss Lamb thought she could catch us out but we were too good!

Year 4

Year 4 have maintained their hectic pace this week! In English they completed their ‘Hot Writes’ by imagining the adventures they would have if they found themselves left behind overnight. Some of the children were stranded in a museum, some in a theme park, some in the middle of the woods and some in a gym. They all had extremely memorable times! In maths they have continued to work on decimals and fractions, and in humanities they were finding all the countries and capitals of South America. All this AND composing music, swimming speedily, speaking French and competing in a cricket match!

Year 5

We are back from Norfolk and had the most amazing time! There’s something truly special about being out in nature—walking along the beach, feeling the mud between your toes, and marvelling at just how beautiful our country is. We wandered under trees that formed a magical canopy, enjoyed ice creams in the sunshine, and watched the sun set in all its glory. As one of the children put it, “It was an amazing, lifelong experience—and one we’ll remember forever!”

I absolutely loved the food, it was superb. I loved Norfolk! Hana

It was really fun in the twilight safari, when we saw the bats and heard them with the bat detector. Frances

I did not realise how much I would walk. Even though I fell in twice, I had so much fun during the mud walk. I loved being responsible and choosing what I wanted to wear! Maria

Team building activities were really fun. Olivia

Year 6

This week Year 6 have been busy rehearsing and preparing for their performance of Wizard of Oz. The children and Mrs Lawson Wood have been working tirelessly and now that we are half way through rehearsals, things are really shaping up. Make sure you get a ticket for the best show in town!

Incredible Triathlon Effort!

Congratulations to Sasha, Bevis, Mya, Margot, Janelle, Zahara, Mabel, Charlotte, Megan, Hanna, Sicily, Bella, Isla, Amelie, Isabella and Lyra who took part in the Restless Development Schools Triathlon at Sevenoaks School last weekend.

As part of the Knight Frank Schools Triathlon, the children formed teams, to swim, cycle and run a relay, collectively raising a huge amount for this fantastic cause. Their dedication, teamwork and enthusiasm were truly inspiring, and we are so proud of their efforts in supporting such a fantastic cause. Read more here about this wonderful initiative.

Well done, everyone! This is a tremendous achievement. Mrs Hall