Dear OFS Community,
We started the week with a timely reflection on chasing ‘personal bests’ - the ability to tune out noise and focus on improving each little step leads to leaps in progress. Whilst I was talking about exams, Mrs Thornton provided the perfect side story. In front of the school, she asked for support in training for her half marathon and we were fortunate to have Beth Morgan from the Imperial Health Charity present her with a sponsored running top...
...Mrs Thornton talked about pushing through the pain of training, challenging herself on her times and going public to bring a little accountability to inspire and drive her! Mrs Thornton is raising funds for our school charity, and I include a link below if you wish to support and encourage her...there’s nothing like a little skin in the game!
On Wednesdays, we open our doors to prospective parents to catch a ‘morning in action’ tour of Orley. I find it fascinating that there is always a parent who asks about 11+ exams with a look of fear in their eyes. When you drill down into what’s behind the question, it’s often being made by a person who did not enjoy their own experience of school exams, or it’s something that they’ve heard about in the car park!
As luck would have it my tour took 20 parents through a hugely energetic and vocal group of Year 5 pupils tearing through the playground on their break between exams.
Here are just a handful of comments from Yr5 pupils after the exams...
I really thought it was going to be harder…I actually really enjoyed the exams, especially the Maths one!
I don’t always get the answers in Maths but the last time we did this the teachers were really helpful after the tests.
I start off feeling nervous but also excited and then I walk into the room, find my desk and the room goes quiet – it really helps me think.
When I finish I can hear my dad’s voice saying ‘check your answers’, it’s something the teachers tell us all the time!
This is the second time I’ve done exams, the first time felt more scary but I actually enjoyed them this time.
I’m saddened to hear of young people struggling at university as they sit end of year exams – trends suggest that more and more people are finding it harder and harder to perform well in exams.
We have to ask ourselves where this anxiety comes from? If we get the balance right between home and school, we should have children excited to demonstrate their learning – on one hand, it offers affirmations that we are on track in certain areas and on the other, a chance for teachers and pupils to revisit learning.
I have to say that hearing the buzz from our Year 5 pupils suggests that they are getting this balance right and I suspect that they're developing the necessary skills to tackle exams as well as the outlook to keep perspective!
Robot Wars
On Thursday, five teams from Upper School competed in a Vex IQ robotics competition up in Derbyshire. In the tournament, there were fourteen teams competing from various schools. Pupils from Upper School had the opportunity to drive their robots in a fierce battle.
As this was one of the final competitions of the season, it was one of the last opportunities to qualify for the Nationals. Everybody worked hard, but in the end a series of twists and turns, and a surprise disqualification with a messy mishap led to the two Yr8 robots being pitted against each other for their place in the Nationals competition. Stuart vs. Marvin. The tension in the air was thick, and palpable. The drivers performed valiantly. However, in the end, a 1-point difference resulted in Marvin receiving the place, and the teamwork trophy. Meanwhile, Stuart received the Design award. There was a very special mention for Athena - the robot driven by the Yr6 girls - for the Judges' award. They were incredibly close to an award, and should be very proud for their performance, especially with a teammate down and it being one of their first competitions.
Krish Parmar
MS Verse Speaking
This term Middle School pupils have rummaged through the shelves of the library, fingers danced along the spines of countless books like eager explorers on a treasure hunt. Once they knew they had found the perfect piece to perform, it was so clear that they couldn't wait to share its enchantment with the world – that sense of wonder was so evident as we were treated to an afternoon of poetry and musical interludes!
Congratulations to Salmaan Rajan, our Yr3 winner and Jai Amin, our Yr4 winner. Runners up were Flora Rakholiya, Tej Amin, Ahva Nagree, Aanya Gosrani and Aashi Jagatia. However, I have been so impressed hearing about the risks taken by everyone as they shared their poems in lessons over the past weeks.
A huge thank you to Valerie Bloom MBE, a celebrated author of poetry and teenage novels, who has visited Orley before in Book Week. Valerie had the unenviable role of being our adjudicator!
The Hard Fought Yards!
Having watched the opening 6 Nations matches last weekend, we relived the Wales Scotland game of 2 very different halves on Wednesday. MTs Prep certainly turned up and put the points on the board with our boys chasing the game, before we blinked, we were 30-5 down at half time. However, half time offered a chance to regroup, and the boys ran out with fire in their bellies scoring five tries (compared to only one conceded) bringing us to a final score of 30-35 by the close of the game. I was really impressed with the way that they refused to give up – it made for a compelling viewing!
News from the Courts!
Our basketball season got underway this week as our 9-man squad made the trip to Northwood for a match with St. Martin's. We made a slow start as we struggled to adapt to the bigger court than we are accustomed to at Orley Farm. It was only thanks to the excellent shooting of our captain, Axel Olson, that we closed the quarter locked at 6-6 as he claimed all three of our baskets. However, we got into our stride and with 2 late scores from Shai, it looked more comfortable than it was with a 22-12 win.
Tooled Up
As a Tooled-Up School, we have access to some fantastic resources, do click through on the link below for the latest food for thought:
For two year groups, this half term is an especially transformational one as senior schools send out their various offer letters. Whatever those results, I want Yr6 and Yr8 pupils to know that we are so proud of you for embracing challenge – life is surprisingly full of challenge, and you are already stronger giving your best over the past year!
Tim Calvey