Welcome to the pre-prep & prep blog!
Mr Barr is attending an IAPS conference, his weekly vlog will return next week!
SEEN ON INSTAGRAM
Here’s a round-up of our Instagram posts from this week – take a look below!
🎈The balloons are ready, and so are we! Come and see what makes our Pre-Prep & Prep such a wonderful place to come to school – we are really looking forward to welcoming you to our Open Morning tomorrow. There’s still a few places left – just head to the link in our bio to book 👋
Make sure to follow us on Instagram for regular updates and snapshots of daily school life.
Mrs Murphy’s News
It was a great privilege to welcome former Pre-Prep pupil, now in the Lower Sixth at Hampton School, Theo, to our assembly yesterday morning. He treated us to two exquisite musical performances, and the children were utterly spellbound by his playing. Theo joined our Pre-Prep in Kindergarten and began learning the piano in Year 2. We reflected on the values and Golden Rules that he has consistently demonstrated throughout the years between then and now. His dedication, perseverance and hard work have clearly played a significant role in his success. I hope that his performance will inspire those children who are at the very beginning of their own musical journeys to practise diligently, work hard and listen carefully to the advice and encouragement they receive along the way.
It was also wonderful to welcome back Mrs Baldwin, who taught music in our Pre-Prep for many years, to hear Theo perform today. In an email following the visit, she wrote:
I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed listening to Theo play. I remember him as a dependable and hardworking pupil in my music lessons all those years ago!
She also commented on the exemplary behaviour of the Pre-Prep children during the assembly.
During the assembly, we were equally delighted to celebrate the achievements of another pupil from Theo’s year group, Joseph, who has recently been selected to represent England in athletics. This is a tremendous accomplishment, and we are immensely proud of him.
It is always a source of enormous joy to hear news of former pupils and, on occasions such as this, to welcome them back to Pre-Prep. Seeing the remarkable young people they have become is a wonderful reminder of the lasting impact of the values, friendships and experiences formed during their earliest school years.
This week the Courtesy Cup and Badge went to Aleksandr (Year 1) for being extremely helpful in Year 1 by keeping the classroom clean and tidy – even without being asked.
and Stars of the Week were awarded to:
- Year 2: Daniel for an amazing piece of writing using ambitious vocabulary and inverted commas. And beginning to join his writing beautifully.
- Year 1: Shaan for sharing his great knowledge on human and physical geography.
- Reception: Ishaan for being a curious learner, asking thoughtful questions and showing enthusiasm for learning.
More awards followed the above and so our congratulations to:
- Year 1: Sowparnika for reading six books this summer to complete the reading challenge.
- Reception: Kai for being recognised as ‘Man of the Match’ during his Saturday football activity – he controlled the ball really well and scored a goal!
Our first outing of the new school year took place yesterday, when Year 1 went on a walk in the local area to spot signs of autumn. We are very grateful to all those who accompanied them, and I was naturally delighted to hear that the children behaved beautifully throughout the trip.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
KINDERGARTEN
There was a great deal of excitement in Kindergarten this week as the children shared the special items they had brought from home in their Show and Tell bags. It was wonderful to see the treasures they chose and to hear them speak so confidently and proudly about their favourite toys and keepsakes. The children were equally enthusiastic when answering questions from their classmates, making Show and Tell an enjoyable and engaging experience for everyone.
This week, we also introduced our Golden Rules, which help us to create a happy, safe, and respectful school environment:
- We are gentle
- We are kind and helpful
- We listen
- We work hard
- We look after property
- We are honest
A copy of our Golden Rules poster has been placed in your child’s bag for you to share and discuss at home. Each rule is linked to a special story that we have enjoyed reading together, featuring characters such as Gino Giraffe, Zelda Zebra, Louis Lion, Elsa Elephant, Alfred Alligator, Mona Monkey, and Miss Beanie the Hippo.
Alongside our Golden Rules, we have been talking about the importance of active listening. The children have been learning that good listening involves using both their ears and their eyes when friends and teachers are speaking.
We were also excited to meet another dinosaur friend, Kindosaurus, who reminds us to use kind hands and kind words with everyone we meet. The children are doing a fantastic job of following his example by showing kindness to their friends and teachers each day. Whenever Kindosaurus spots a child being especially kind, they receive a special sticker to celebrate their wonderful friendship and teamwork skills.
Next week, we are looking forward to beginning our new topic, The Little Red Hen, and all the exciting learning that will come with it.
By Mrs Hand – Kindergarten Teacher
RECEPTION
This week in Reception, we have been diving into our exciting new topic, ‘Magnificent Me’. During Circle Time, we explored feelings and emotions, learning how to express them and understand each other better. The children shared their thoughts beautifully and listened to one another with kindness and respect. We talked about how Magnificent we all are and how unique we each our all coming from very different families. In art and craft, we made paper houses which we filled with drawings of our family members.
We thoroughly enjoyed reading Marmaduke the Very Different Dragon by Rachel Valentine. This heart-warming story helped us celebrate what makes each of us special and unique. It sparked thoughtful discussions about our differences and why it is important to embrace and celebrate them.
This week in phonics, we have been practising the correct cursive formation of the letters s, a and t. We also enjoyed oral blending games to develop our skills in segmenting and blending simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.
Mrs O’Brien was especially pleased with the children’s enthusiasm during reading sessions. We focused on pointing to each word as we read, recognising character names, identifying familiar letter sounds, and discussing the story and illustrations.
Reading books and diaries have been sent home for the weekend. Each week, we will add the sounds we are learning to your child’s diary. Please write a short comment whenever you read with your child so that we can follow their progress.
As discussed at the recent Reading Information Evening, please ensure that the plastic reading folder remains complete in your child’s book bag and is returned to school every day. Most importantly, enjoy sharing stories together. Encourage your child to talk about the pictures, discuss the characters and predict what might happen next.
In maths, we have been practising the formation of the numbers 3 and 4, exploring their position on a number line and developing our counting skills through a range of practical activities. The children were also excited to begin using their new Number and Pattern workbooks, where they created colourful patterns and explored early mathematical concepts.
You will find some loose worksheets in your child’s book bag each week. These showcase the learning that has taken place in class. Please remember to empty folders weekly so that your child can access and manage them independently.
Looking ahead to next week, we will continue our ‘Magnificent Me’ topic by learning about our bodies and the importance of good hygiene. We are looking forward to another fun-filled week of learning and discovery!
By Mrs Johnston – Reception Teacher
YEAR 1
We have had a great and very full week here in Year 1! We continued our topic of addition and subtraction in maths, with a particular focus on addition word problems. This was a new concept for the children to explore, but they really enjoyed looking at different examples of word problems and thinking carefully about how to solve them. It has been lovely to see them developing their problem-solving skills and explaining their thinking.
In English, we continued our theme of toys and expanded our learning by focusing on adjectives, conjunctions and prepositions. The children completed some short pieces of writing about their favourite toy, including where it lives and how it makes them feel. They really enjoyed writing about something they love and sharing their ideas with us.
We also continued our theme of human and physical geography, with a focus on the human side of geography. This week, we looked at bridges, thinking about why they are important and how they are designed. The children got their engineering hats on and designed some incredible bridges, showing lots of creativity and fantastic ideas.
We have also continued our learning about seasons, looking more closely at autumn and the weather we experience during this time of year. The children are beginning an exciting experiment where they will track the weather and make predictions about what they think might happen next. We are looking forward to seeing what they discover!
To round off a busy week, we enjoyed a lovely walk around Carlisle Park. It was a wonderful opportunity to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and take in all that autumn has to offer. The children enjoyed spotting the changes around them and making connections with what we have been learning in class.
Well done, Year 1, on another fantastic week!
By Miss Madden – Year 1 Teacher
YEAR 2
Year 2 have had another busy and productive week of learning!
The children have continued to develop their understanding of number and place value in maths and are becoming increasingly adept at explaining their thinking verbally. This week, they explored number lines with intervals that were multiples of 10 and we have been particularly impressed with how carefully the children check the starting and ending points of number lines, as well as the number of intervals, when estimating values. This attention to detail is helping them to avoid unnecessary mistakes and deepen their mathematical understanding.
In English, the children used their imaginations to write about an exciting trip to the African savanna. They worked hard to make their writing more engaging by choosing powerful alternatives to the word went and by using ambitious vocabulary throughout – Mrs Wordsmith was impressed! The children also included a wide range of descriptive adjectives to bring their experiences to life, carefully describing the animals they encountered during their adventure. We were extremely impressed by their creativity and the details they used to paint a picture for their readers. What a talented group of young writers we have in Year 2!
In Humanities, the children have been learning about where hot and cold countries are located around the world. They are becoming increasingly confident in identifying and naming different climate zones, using key vocabulary such as temperate, polar andtropical This knowledge will support their upcoming learning about African animals and help them understand how climates and habitats influence the way animals live and survive.
By Mrs Timba – Year 2 Teacher
On the Sports Field
Congratulations go to the Year 3 A and B teams following their first venture into Prep tournament football this week as they travelled to Surbiton for the U8 Football Tournament. The pressure was on as Hampton Prep arrived as the holders of the trophy from last year, but the boys rose to the occasion superbly. The A’s played some wonderful football throughout the afternoon and successfully retained the cup, while the B’s produced a series of strong performances to win the Shield. A huge congratulations to both teams. We look forward to seeing all of the U8’s in action next week in the block fixture against Surbiton.
Penalties are perhaps the cruellest way to exit a tournament, and unfortunately Hampton Prep found themselves on the wrong end of them twice this week. In the Claremont Cup, the U9 A’s faced St Paul’s, Thames Ditton and showed excellent resilience to recover from an early setback and battle their way back to a draw by the final whistle. With the tie needing to be settled from the spot, St Paul’s held their nerve to progress.
The U10 A’s suffered a similar fate at the TPS Tournament on Wednesday. Having played some excellent football in a tightly contested semi-final against Bishopsgate, they created the better opportunities and controlled much of the play. With the score locked at 0-0, the match moved into golden goal extra time. Despite enjoying the majority of possession, Hampton could not find the breakthrough, and penalties followed. Three brave Hamptonians stepped forward, but it was Bishopsgate who eventually progressed and went on to lift the trophy. Nevertheless, it was an excellent afternoon of football, with both the A’s and B’s securing impressive third-place finishes.
Next week sees the U11’s competing in the ISFA Regional Tournament, one of the premier events of the football calendar. We wish them the very best of luck.
Next Week’s Fixtures
Monday 28 September
- U11 A-D v KCJS & St Thomas’ (Away) – 3:00pm
Tuesday 29 September - U8 A-D v Surbiton (Away) – 2:30pm
Wednesday 30 September - U10 A-D v Surbiton (Away) – 2:30pm
U11 A-D v Surbiton (Home) – 2:30pm
Friday 2 October - U9 A-D v Surbiton (Home) – 2:30pm
U11 ISFA 7-a-side Regional Tournament, Aldenham School – 10:00am
Saturday 3 October - U11 A & B and U10 A & B Tournament at Hampton Prep
A busy and exciting week lies ahead. Good luck to all the boys representing Hampton Prep.
By Mr Salt – Head of Sports
Hampton Staff Shine for Cancer Research
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Pre-Prep & Prep staff in the Cancer Research walk in loving memory of our dear colleague, Di Gellner-Ward. Together, staff have raised an incredible £5,677, with a further £1,300 in Gift Aid expected to be added to the total. Thank you to everyone who donated and helped us reach this fantastic figure.
a NOTES FROM MR BARR, HEADMASTER
Dear Parents, Thank you for your continued support in helping our school remain a positive part of the local community. As the term progresses, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of considerate parking and driving around the School, particularly during drop-off and collection times.
We are fortunate to have supportive neighbours and maintaining positive relationships with them is something we all value. I would be grateful if parents could take particular care not to block driveways, dropped kerbs or access points, even for a short period of time. Whilst it may seem a minor inconvenience, it can make it extremely difficult for residents to enter or leave their homes and understandably causes frustration.
Where possible, I would also encourage families to consider the ‘park and stride’ approach that Mrs Howard encouraged at the start of term, parking a little further away from the School and walking the final few minutes. This helps to reduce congestion, improves safety for our pupils and neighbours, and provides a healthy start or end to the school day.
Thank you for your understanding, cooperation and support. By working together and showing consideration for those who live around the School, we can ensure that the school run remains as safe and pleasant as possible for everyone.
