Prep School Newsletter Friday 16 January 2026

Butterflies

We have been busy learning all about animals and their environments. The children explored where different animals live, how their habitats help them to survive, and the types of food animals eat. As part of their learning, the children also took part in a creative art activity, producing some beautiful lion artwork that they were very proud of.

Reception

In Literacy this week, Reception have been reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The children have had fun retelling the story and using different voices for Daddy Bear, Mummy Bear and Baby Bear. They have thought about the characters in the story, choosing their favourite one and explaining why they like that character and sequenced pictures in the right order to tell the story. The role-play area is now the Three Bears Cottage and so the children have been dressing up and telling the story in their own way. There has been porridge everywhere!!

Year 1

This week Year 1 started their new Science topic looking at famous inventors. The first person they learnt about was Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a Danish carpenter who created Lego. This is a much loved toy in our classroom! The children were tasked with investigating the properties of Lego, why plastic was the best material for this and then they had a chance to invent their own models. We also looked at some paintings by Monet in Art, looking carefully at the colours he used and times of day which change the light in the backgrounds. The children enjoyed using chalks but luckily we remembered to use aprons as the chalk went everywhere! Do and come see our finished pictures up on the wall. 

Year 2

Year 2 had lots of fun continuing their learning about London this week! They created London landmarks out of natural materials such as mud, sticks and acorns in Outdoor Learning, then acted out the events of the Great Fire of London in Topic with great expression. In Art we looked at Monet and impressionism, then used oil pastels and chalk to create London landscapes.

Year 3

Year 3 are studying the Stone Age as their topic this term. Whilst reading The First Drawing by Mordicai Gerstein, they learnt about the type of animals found during the Stone Age. In art, they used charcoal which is a natural drawing material, to draw bison in the style of a cave painting. The pictures were very successful and will go on display ready our upcoming assembly.

Year 4

4S have had a hardworking and exciting week of learning. In English, the class continued reading Shackleton’s Journey, creating powerful freeze frames that captured the moment the crew split apart, using body language to show emotion before photographing their scenes and adding speech and thought bubbles. They also focused on using adverbials in their writing, making sure to include the when, the how, and the where within their sentences. In Maths, the children have been practising multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100. In Science, they used observable features to classify the class and organised their findings using Venn and Carroll diagrams. Meanwhile, in Humanities, 4S began their new topic on the Celts, Saxons and Danes, starting with a timeline of British history before heading outside to create a scaled model of the different periods in the playground.

Year 5

Enjoying our first full week back, Year Five​ have immersed themselves in all things Greek. Researching Greek patterns and plate designs, the class have started a two week project in art. Many are including images of gods whilst others are inspired by Greek Mythology or the Olympics. The demi -god, Percy Jackson, has started to discover his immense powers as friends and foes surround him in the mystery of Zeus' missing thunderbolt. Focussing on dialogue, actions and description, the year group has collected a huge amount of information about Percy, who they generally like, despite his faults. Thursday's English lesson involved writing soliloquies after exploring the range of emotions Percy experiences after he is expelled from Yancy Academy for vaporizing his maths teacher. I hope the children don't get any ideas!  

Year 6

What a busy week Year 6 have had! In science, we began our new topic on ‘The Circulatory System,’ including looking at all the amazing things our hearts do. Did you know that each day enough power is produced in the heart to drive a car 32k (20 miles). The children produced outstanding fact files and shared some super knowledge with each other. They are enjoying our new English text – ‘The Rain Player’ and are all working with their usual cheerful enthusiasm. In between practising the songs for ‘Young Voices,’ we even had a chance to enjoy a stroll to visit the sheep!

PE News

We kicked off the netball term in style this week with some fantastic matches and teamwork on display. Our Year 5 and 6 teams took on The Mead, with Year 6 enjoying a closely contested match and working hard on their passing and movement across the court. The Year 5 A team battled to a well-earned 3–3 draw, while the B team secured an excellent 1–0 win — fantastic results all round. Players of the match were Olivia W and Hallie C. Despite the challenging weather, we were delighted to host Sevenoaks Prep for an afternoon of netball. Year 4 joined forces with Year 3, and boys and girls played together to ensure everyone could stay active and involved. It was a wonderful afternoon, showcasing great skills, teamwork and enthusiasm. Well done to Sasha and Maia P, who were awarded players of the match.