The Bulletin Edition 14

I love this quote from British author Zadie Smith, who sums up exactly how I feel about the importance of reading:

“You are never alone when you’re reading a book. It’s a bridge, not only to another world, but to other human beings, across time, across cultures, across languages. It’s the closest thing we have to magic.”

It was wonderful to see so many parents in the James Hall on Tuesday for Miss Allott’s most recent Reading Café, which continues to grow in popularity. Miss Allott’s passion for literature is infectious, and we are fortunate to have such an inspiring subject specialist on our team. Her belief in the symbiotic relationship between reading and writing lies at the heart of how everyone here teaches English: encouraging pupils to draw upon their reading to enrich their creative writing. We want to make sure the books being read are informing and inspiring the boys’ own imaginative narratives, so they develop both as readers and as writers.

At Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep, we place great value on nurturing everyone’s imagination. It is a complex and ongoing process I reckon, and one that extends far beyond the bounds of childhood. Imagination is not confined to a specific stage of life; it evolves continually, enriching I hope how we pass through life on a daily basis and thereby ultimately shaping our understanding of the world. Even as adults, our imaginations allow us to engage with the sublime, the absurd, the amusing, and even the tragic, helping us to feel deeply and think expansively. I make sure I still deliberately and intentionally attend to the development of my imagination for those very reasons!

For children, this capacity for imaginative exploration is boundless, or at least it should be. Their young minds are able to visit unexplored places, conjure extraordinary ideas, and create fantastical worlds. Our role as educators therefore (which also extends in my view to you as parents) is to guide this journey, ensuring that the imaginations of the pupils at our school are both nurtured and challenged. Life and work here is all about providing opportunities for everyone to express themselves intellectually, creatively, and emotionally, knowing that an active imagination is the foundation for innovative thinking and empathetic understanding.

Looking at a highlights reel of professional rugby, one could be forgiven for thinking that rugby is about big hits, and dominant tackles. At that level there is an element of that which is true. However, at the grassroots level we play at our school, we want to see our boys do what is required in any other invasion game, be that football, basketball or hockey, which is to manipulate the opposition to create space and then move the ball to the space in order to score.

Empowering children to take an active role in their school community is vital for their personal growth and development, and School Council plays a pivotal role in fostering a sense of responsibility, collaboration and leadership among our pupils. Through the council, children are encouraged to voice their ideas, contribute to decision-making and work together to make a positive impact on school life and the wider community. It not only instils confidence but also teaches the value of teamwork and listening to others, ensuring every child feels heard and valued. In essence, the School Council embodies our commitment to nurturing thoughtful, proactive individuals who are ready to contribute meaningfully to the world around them. With this in mind, I am delighted to announce our spring term School Councillors: Aric and Deniz – Reception; Ed and Simran - Year 1; and Arjunah and Charles Year 2.

As part of our Winter topic, we enjoyed reading the story Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara. It inspired us to think of words such as frosty, icy, foggy, and cold to describe the chilly season. We also discussed different types of trees—some with bare branches and others that are evergreen. The children then enjoyed spotting these around the playground.

Brrrrrrr! It has been a chilly week here in Reception as we took an imaginary trip to Antarctica to meet some penguin friends! We explored an informative book and watched an engaging ‘Penguin PowerPoint’ presentation, learning fascinating facts about these amazing creatures. For example, did you know that daddy penguins carry the egg on their feet for two whole months without eating, until the egg hatches? We all agreed that this is an incredibly tough job!

What a busy week we have had in Year 1! After completing our African Counting books, complete with alliterative adjectives, we were thrilled to be invited to take them to Kindergarten to share them with our younger friends there. We talked about how to engage a listener – reading with expression, talking about the illustrations, and reading with a loud and clear voice. What a treat for all!

In mathematics, Year 2 have loved combining their learning of addition and subtraction with their new learning when performing calculations involving money. They have been able to find the total cost or find the difference in prices of objects, using increasingly complex real-life shopping problems. They were also able to use their number bonds to 100 knowledge when converting £1 to 100p. They explored a variety of different methods of calculating change such as removing coins that are spent, or more abstract methods such as counting back, counting on, and using a number line.