Nursery to Year Six Highlights

Remembrance

On Tuesday, Miss Deacon, our History Co-ordinator led a reflective and respectful assembly to mark Remembrance Day. Ably supported by girls who attend History Club, Miss Deacon shared with the school the significance of Remembrance Day explaining how it honours those who have died in wars, marks the end of World War I and serves as a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made for freedom and peace. Mr Pepper played 'The Last Post' on his trumpet, to mark the end of the minute's silence and Year Six produced some striking pieces of artwork using silhouettes to capture the spirit of remembrance.

Supermarket sweep!

Nursery have thoroughly enjoyed the ‘supermarket’ role-play this week, exploring how to take on different roles as customers and cashiers. It has been wonderful to see the girls playing co-operatively with one another and beginning to negotiate their own ideas during play. We have also been delighted to see some using their early knowledge of print to create their own shopping lists through meaningful mark-making. We are very proud of their growing imagination and communication!  

Marvellous magical monsters!

It has been ‘m' week in Kindergarten and the pupils and staff have had a Marvellous and Magical time completing themed activities. Our ‘sound of the week’ table has been loaded with monkeys, mice, microphones, a mug, a magnifying glass and more! The pupils have learned about 'Miguel the mighty meerkat' in Phonics lessons and improved their matching skills in Mathematics. They investigated different materials as staff helped them to develop their understanding of the world and greatly enjoyed decorating magnificent monsters in their expressive arts and design lessons.

Then and Now!

As part of their topic “Then and Now”, Reception have been learning all about what school was like in Victorian times and how it is different from the classrooms of today. The children discovered that in Victorian schools, girls and boys often learned very different things. Girls had sewing lessons, while boys did other subjects such as woodwork or technical drawing. Everyone had to follow very strict rules. The girls read through a real set of Victorian class rules to see how they compared with the EHS school rules today. The children noticed lots of differences, Victorian rules were much stricter! To help us imagine what it might have been like, the girls wrote a list of rules for Victorian times in their writing books. They even had a go at doing some sewing, just like the girls in Victorian classrooms used to do!

Enthusiastic readers!

The Year One girls have developed a wonderful love of reading and as part of their English lessons, they have the opportunity to visit the Prep Library. During these visits, the girls choose books and enjoy spending time reading either independently or with a friend. They also listen to a story read aloud by their teacher who models fluency and intonation. We hope that this enthusiasm for reading will continue to grow throughout their time in Prep and beyond, inspiring a lifelong love of books. In a few weeks’ time, the Year One girls will have the exciting opportunity to visit the Prep Bookshop, where they can choose and purchase a book of their own to take home. 

If you would like your daughter to take part and have not already added money to your daughter’s account, please speak to her Form Teacher for more information. 

 

Symbols of Remembrance

This week in their History lessons, Year Two have been learning about Remembrance Day. The girls explored the importance of the Cenotaph in London and discovered why poppies and poppy wreaths are used as symbols of remembrance. They showed great respect and thoughtfulness as they learned about the people who served and sacrificed for our country. To mark the occasion, the girls also created their own remembrance crosses, reflecting on the significance of remembering those who fought for peace. 

 

Historical thinking Skills

Year Three have been learning about the Roman invasion of Britain. The pupils have explored who the Romans were, why they came to Britain and how their arrival changed life for the people who lived here. This week, their focus was on Queen Boudicca, the courageous leader of the Iceni tribe, who led a famous revolt against Roman rule. The class discussed the reasons behind her rebellion and considered how different groups at the time might have viewed these events. Through these discussions, pupils gained an understanding that history can be interpreted in different ways, depending on perspective. In addition, they have developed their historical thinking skills by distinguishing between facts and opinions and reflecting on the qualities that made Boudicca such an inspiring figure. 

 

Building digital literacy

Year Four have been developing their confidence using laptops this week. While focusing on refining their control when using the mouse pad, the girls have explored a range of word-processing features including cut, copy, and paste. The girls showed great persistence as they followed step-by-step instructions to explore these tools. Pupils worked hard to edit text, format their work neatly and even insert pictures into their documents — a skill that required patience, attention to detail and problem-solving. Learning how to use these functions is an important step in building their digital literacy. It encourages accuracy, organisation and independence when creating documents — key skills that will support them across all subjects. As their confidence grows, our Year Four girls will be able to use technology more effectively to present ideas, edit writing and collaborate creatively in future lessons. 

 

Year Five explore Puritan England

Year Five have been exploring what life was life in Puritan England during Oliver Cromwell’s role as Lord Protector. They followed the life of a 12 year old girl called Patience Wakeman and compared the life she lived to their own life today. Everyone was interested to find that although there were many obvious differences there were a few elements that were similar to their modern way of life too. A highlight was undoubtedly trying on the Puritan costumes and choosing a suitable Puritan name. The difficulty was keeping a serious face for the photograph! 

Year Six Macbeth Workshop

Year Six were transported into the world of Shakespeare this week during an immersive Macbeth workshop led by the Young Shakespeare Company. Through energetic acting and thoughtful discussion, pupils explored the play’s dark themes of ambition, power and consequence. The workshop deepened pupils’ understanding of the story and gave them the confidence to interpret and perform classic texts. It was a fantastic opportunity to experience literature in a lively, hands-on and memorable way. Year Six look forward to further work on Macbeth in the coming weeks.