Friday Headlines
the weekly newsletter from EHS
Nursery to Year Six Highlights
20 June 2025
It has been a busy week in Pre-Prep and Prep filled with lots of exciting activities designed to inspire creativity, exploration and confidence. Take a look at the gallery below for some of this week’s pictures from each year group!
Nursery
In Nursery, the girls have been enjoying the classic story The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The girls have taken part in a range of creative and hands on activities inspired by the story, helping them to develop important early skills through play. The girls used fine motor skills to thread wooden fruit and vegetables onto string, just like the caterpillar munching his way through tasty treats. They also used hole punches to chomp through different fruit shapes. This was a fun, albeit slightly tricky, activity that helped to build hand strength and grip.
The girls made beautiful butterfly prints by squirting paint onto one half of a butterfly shape, folding it over, pressing it down and then opening it up to reveal a magical, symmetrical pattern.
In mark-making, they practised tracing lines to create their own caterpillars and butterflies, supporting their pencil control and early writing skills.
Kindergarten
Our Kindergarten classes welcomed their parents into school for a special "Balanceability Showcase Morning", a celebration of the children's growing confidence and skills on two wheels! Over the past year, the young learners have been participating in the Balanceability program, a nationally recognized initiative designed to introduce cycling in a safe, supportive and progressive way. The program focuses on balance and coordination, helping children build the foundational skills necessary before transitioning to pedal bikes.
The showcase provided a glimpse into how far the children had come. Parents watched as the children demonstrated their abilities through a series of obstacle courses and balance challenges. All girls were able to show off the skills that they have learned over the year. Well done everyone!
Year One's Science Adventure at the Botanical Gardens!
On Wednesday and Thursday this week, Year One turned the Botanical Gardens' playground into their very own outdoor science lab! Building on their work with pushes and pulls, the girls investigated how to stay safe while using the playground equipment. They also put on their detective hats to figure out what safety measures the Botanics had put in place to help keep everyone safe. With curious minds in hand, the girls tested out the equipment, making short videos to show what they discovered. Once the lesson wrapped up, there was only one thing left to do—enjoy the playground! And they certainly did, playing safely and having a blast!
Swimming champions
Year Two girls have thoroughly enjoyed their weekly swimming lessons, where they’ve been building water confidence and learning about water safety, all while refining their front and backstroke techniques. A standout moment of the year was their first-ever swimming gala, held in front of proud parents—a truly memorable event. The girls began by bravely jumping into the deep end and swimming the full length of the pool using their best stroke, all with big smiles. They then took part in relay races representing their houses. There were lots of fun races such as swimming on their backs, swimming with a ball, a seahorse races and swimming through a hoop. It was a fantastic afternoon filled with enthusiasm and the girls should be incredibly proud of themselves and their achievements this year.
Lower Smite Farm
As part of their Science topic on ‘Helping Plants Grow Well’, Year Three visited Lower Smite Farm, which is owned by the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. The
farm spans 150 acres and operates as a working arable farm with an Environmental Education Centre. During their visit, the girls engaged in a range of hands-on activities to
deepen their understanding of plants and how they grow. They dissected flowers to explore the process of pollination and to learn the names and functions of each
part.
On a wildflower hunt, they searched for flowers with daisy, bowl, and bell-shaped petals, sharpening their observation skills. The group also examined different types of soil
and conducted an experiment to investigate whether adding compost could improve soil quality.
As a fun and active way to understand how pollination works, the girls took on the role of pollinators in a pollen-transfer race. They also used Lego to construct models of various soil structures, reinforcing their learning through play. The highlight of the day was a sensory hunt around the gardens, where the girls engaged all five senses to experience the natural world in a new and exciting way.
Colourful coral
Over the last few weeks, Year Four pupils have been learning about the Coral reefs of the world. They have learnt that coral is in fact an animal and the various colours of coral come from a collaboration of coral and algae! The pupils have been finding out how many types of fish and animals live in and around the reefs and how each one supports the other.
Questioning the Past and Looking to the Future
Year Five have been busy becoming expert investigators, deep thinkers and interviewers! The focus of our learning has been around asking open-ended questions—questions that spark curiosity, invite different ideas and help us dig deeper into a topic.
One of the highlights of our work was a brilliant comprehension all about the Ancient Egyptians. After learning about mummification, pyramids and daily life in Ancient Egypt, we zoomed in on one of the most fascinating figures of all—Tutankhamun. As the year comes to an end, we have turned those same questioning skills towards ourselves. In pairs, we interviewed each other about our experiences in Year Five and what we are excited about for Year Six. “It has been a fantastic year of learning, discovering and asking brilliant questions”.
Year Five have shown how curiosity and creativity can turn a classroom into a place of exploration. With these skills in hand, they are ready to take on all the adventures that Year Six will bring!
Rich tapestry of enrichment
Year Six have immersed themselves in a rich tapestry of enrichment experiences designed to broaden their horizons and spark intellectual curiosity. From
mastering life-saving techniques in first aid to exploring wellbeing through reflexology, the programme has nurtured both mind and body. Pupils coded and piloted drones in a
high-tech Computing workshop, delved into Ancient Egyptian civilisation through artefact handling and interactive historical inquiry and explored the natural world during a
Botanical Gardens visit – laying the foundations for upcoming English work. This dynamic blend of practical, cultural and cross-curricular learning is just the beginning, with
even more opportunities still to come.
Prep Highlights
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