The Weekly Roar - Edition 31

Welcome to the pre-prep & prep blog!

At the end of the first week of school in January 2015, I penned my very first Bulletin as Headmaster of our wonderful school. This one is number 346 and is my last!

We had a different name back then (we changed it to Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep in 2016), the uniform was different, and both the Pre-Prep and Prep sites looked physically substantially different from how they are today, thank heavens! No more moving buckets about to catch the drips in the Kindergarten when it rained, and the prefabricated buildings on the Prep site, erected sometime in the 1980s and long since past their sell-by date, have been replaced by the staff car park.

From our newer prefabs, for about twelve months after I started, we sat surrounded by a moat of mud watching the new Prep building emerge brick by brick from the plot on the Prep school site, until the joyous day we were finally able to move in. I remember that well. It was a Friday, and colleagues willingly came in over that weekend to help set everything up for the Monday morning… only to arrive at school and receive a phone call from the Independent Schools Inspectorate (which, in fairness, we had more or less been expecting) alerting us to the fact that our scheduled inspection would begin the very next day.

It has been non-stop fun and games here ever since, and I can honestly say the last eleven years have been the most personally invigorating, the most professionally rewarding and, above all, the most transformative in terms of what I currently believe constitutes a joyful, successful educational experience for young learners. I could not have wished to begin my first Headship in a more fitting school.

According to one or two colleagues here, I am far too old to be bandying about colloquially age-inappropriate language such as the word “vibe” but I can reassure you, the vibe here eleven years ago was as warm, kind and academically purposeful as it remains today, and of that I am immensely grateful: to my colleagues, to you as parents of the boys and girls here across both Pre-Prep & Prep, and of course to the pupils themselves.

I shall send my customary end-of-term letter to all parents on Friday next week, but I sign off from the authorship of the Bulletins now, happy and proud of the school we are, and 100% confident that an even brighter future is yet to come! I shall be following the continued success of the school very closely.

By Tim Smith – Head of Pre-Prep & Prep

SEEN ON INSTAGRAM

Here’s a round-up of our Instagram posts from this week – take a look below!

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Make sure to follow us on Instagram for regular updates and snapshots of daily school life.

Mrs Murphy’s News

It’s hard to believe that this is the final bulletin of the year – it seems no time at all since I was sitting down to write the first one of the year. The children have been superb this week, taking whatever life throws in their direction and coping with the hot weather. In fact, a credit to you all!

As always, we have been busy this week and it doesn’t seem that the pace will lessen until we break up at 11.45am next Friday. We are so grateful to Shaan’s parents for leading our assembly on Monday. They taught the children all about dental hygiene, sharing top tips for brushing teeth twice a day and highlighting the importance of choosing foods that support healthy teeth rather than those that cause a ‘sugar bug party’. They have also very kindly donated some dental items for each child — toothpaste and a discolouration tablet to help test how effectively we are brushing our teeth! These will be sent out next week with instructions for the tablet.

We are very much looking forward to the Summer Concert and Prize Giving next Thursday (2 July), which will start at 9.30am in the James Hall at Prep. We do hope you will be able to join us for this special event.

With the long summer holidays approaching, below are some suggestions for supporting your child over but first the awards….

This week the Courtesy Cup and Badge went to Noah (Year 2) for building stronger friendships and showing courteous behaviour to his classmates. Keep up this super progress, Noah!

and Stars of the Week were awarded to:

Year 2: Zaki for being a “Rayee” of sunshine in Year 2! We are so lucky to have Zaki to inspire us with his wonderful knowledge.
Year 1: Rosie for working hard to overcome her challenges whilst also being a brilliant student.
Reception: Eli for his fantastic neat writing about staying safe in the sunshine. Top tips, Eli!

More awards followed the above, and so our congratulations go to:

Reception: Archie for being awarded the 5m swimming badge and to Ozan, Shaan and Roman for being awarded a certificate of achievement from Kiddy Cooks cookery club.
Year 1: Niam for taking part in Drowning Prevention Week and Aarav for excelling at his tennis club.
Year 2: Zayn for completing Stage 4 Swim England.

Supporting Your Child Over the Summer

Many parents have asked for suggestions on how to continue supporting learning over the holiday period, so I thought it would be helpful to include some ideas in this final bulletin of the year for everyone to access. I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to keep learning enjoyable.

Building confidence and deepening your child’s thinking through everyday experiences will have the greatest impact.

Keep all activities fun and low-pressure. Following your child’s interests – through talking, questioning, and exploring together – will make a real difference but, most importantly, striking a healthy balance between learning, play, and rest will help ensure your child returns in September feeling enthusiastic, confident, and ready to learn.

Encourage independence

Give opportunities for your child to dress themselves, tidy up, prepare simple snacks, and take responsibility for small tasks. Researchers from Harvard concluded that one of the key predictors of adult happiness and success was the development of a strong work ethic – and this was often built through children contributing to everyday tasks at home.

Children who regularly helped with chores were more likely to:

Develop a sense of responsibility and independence
Build a strong work ethic and perseverance
Show greater empathy and teamwork
Experience higher levels of confidence and self-worth.

Some research has also shown that children who begin helping with simple tasks at a young age (around 3–4 years old) tend to have better outcomes in areas such as relationships, academic achievement, and career success later in life.

Talk, talk, talk

Conversations build vocabulary and confidence. Share stories, discuss outings, and encourage your child to ask and answer questions. Again, research shows that a strong early vocabulary is a key foundation for later success in reading and learning. However, it is not just about the number of words children know — rich conversations, storytelling, and opportunities to use language meaningfully are what truly support long-term development.

Keep reading

Read together daily (a mix of stories and non-fiction)
Discuss what you read: Why did the character do that? What might happen next?
Explore new vocabulary and talk about meanings so children can use exciting new words in their own writing
Encourage your child to retell or change parts of a story

Reading skills are undeniably critical to a child’s success in school, work, and life. Reading aloud plays a vital role in developing these skills. A daily story should be part of life, even for children well beyond the infant stage.

Research consistently shows that reading for pleasure makes a significant difference to children’s educational outcomes. Those who read regularly not only perform better in reading tests, but also develop a broader vocabulary, greater general knowledge, and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

It will come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of picture books. In my view, they are beautifully crafted short stories. There are so many wonderful titles to enjoy and some of my favourites include:

Anything by Giles Andreae (my absolute favourites!)
Anything by Julia Donaldson (ditto)
The Little Zeb series – Caroline Castle and Sam Childs
The Tiger Who Came to Tea – Judith Kerr
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
Elmer – David McKee
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
Lost and Found – Oliver Jeffers
Handa’s Surprise – Eileen Browne

One of our parents has very kindly sent a link to her company’s Recommended Reads (the bundles are organised by year groups) and the list has recently been updated for 2026-2027.

KINDERGARTEN

We began exploring our new topic, Eco Warriors, with a focus on recycling. We talked about what happens to different types of rubbish – boxes, plastic, glass and materials that don’t rot. Many children proudly shared that they help at home by sorting recycling into the correct bins, which was wonderful to hear. We also discussed food waste, thinking about what rots and how we can make good use of it. Everyone agreed that composting leftover food is a brilliant idea. We also discussed how our old clothes and toys can be reused by donating them to charity shops, where they can be sold to new owners and enjoyed again instead of being thrown away to landfill. Our interactive board proved very useful as we played a sorting game, placing different pieces of rubbish into the right bins.

We enjoyed reading lots of stories about saving our planet, but our favourite was Litterbug Doug, by Ellie Bethel. Litterbug Dough is a messy character who leaves rubbish near a clean town. Earth’s superhero, Michael Recycle, intervenes, helping Doug clean his act up and learn the value of recycling.

We also listened to ‘The Mess That We Made’ by Michelle Lord. This story was about oceanic pollution and marine conservation. It made us feel quite sad to think that if we do not make changes there will be even more damage to our oceans, and many marine animals could lose their homes forever.However, it also served to remind us that we can still make a difference by making small, positive choices every day.

We have loved working with Get Squiggling- a drawing programme on CBeebies which has captivated the children and spurred them on to improve dexterity and fine motor skills whilst having lots of fun.

We felt excited but a little sad as we said goodbye to our butterflies, watching one flutter next door to a tall plant and the other landing on our covered roof, as if they were saying thank you and goodbye before flying off to continue the lifecycle.

Congratulations to Henry for being awarded Player of the Week medal at his tennis club.

Our topic next week is Summer.

By Mrs Hand – Kindergarten Teacher

RECEPTION

This week in Reception, our topic has been Colour. We enjoyed some wonderful discussions about our favourite colours and how they make us feel. It was lovely to hear the children’s thoughtful and imaginative responses – from the calming blue of the sky, to the soft green of the grass in our garden, and even the vibrant shades of the rainbow.

We have also been keeping cool in Reception, making the most of the cooler morning air by playing in our garden. The children particularly enjoyed water play, and we took time to discuss the importance of sun safety. The children created posters to encourage their friends to stay safe and cool in the warm weather.

We shared the story Mouse Paint, about three mischievous mice who jump into pots of primary-coloured paint and create colourful chaos. This introduced us to the concept of mixing primary colours to make secondary colours, which inspired some fantastic creative writing. The children also explored colour mixing using pipettes and coloured water, carefully squeezing droplets and watching in awe as the colours spread and changed before their eyes. This was especially popular in the tuff tray, where the children eagerly observed how new colours were created.

In maths, we explored numbers beyond 20. Using a 100 square, we counted the potatoes harvested from our garden and discovered we had grown an impressive 68 potatoes! On Friday, we celebrated with a potato tasting – Mrs O’Brien cooked them, and the children thoroughly enjoyed trying something they had grown themselves.

On Thursday, we celebrated filling our star jar with a special treat – an ice cream and Freddo while watching our favourite Froglets. It was the perfect way to enjoy a hot day! We have been incredibly impressed with how well the children have continued to work despite the warm weather.

Earlier in the week, the children enjoyed their second ‘moving up’ morning with Mrs Madden and Mrs Swain. As next week will be our final week in Reception, we will be reflecting on our learning and preparing for the exciting transition into Year 1.

It has been an absolute joy to teach this Reception class and to watch the children grow in confidence, curiosity, and independence. Their progress has been remarkable, and we are so proud of everything they have achieved.

By Mrs Johnston – Reception Teacher

Year 1

Despite the heat, we have had a very productive week in Year 1. The children have worked incredibly hard to stay focused and engaged in their learning, and they should be very proud of all they have achieved.

In Maths, we started an exciting new topic: telling the time. The children have been learning how to read o’clock times, half past, quarter past, and quarter to. They have grasped these concepts really well and have enjoyed spending time using our classroom clocks to explore and practise different times. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they become more familiar with reading analogue clocks and discussing daily routines linked to time.

In English, we have continued our work on fiction and non-fiction books, exploring the different features that help us identify each type of text. The children have been fantastic at recognising features such as contents pages, glossaries, photographs, and labels in non-fiction texts, as well as characters, settings, and story plots in fiction books. They have enjoyed investigating a range of books and discussing the clues that help us decide which category they belong to.

The children have shown great determination and enthusiasm throughout the week, even in the warm weather. Their positive attitude towards learning has been fantastic to see, and they continue to impress us with their resilience and hard work.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend and find some time to stay cool and relax before another exciting (and final) week of learning in Year 1.

By Miss Madden – Year 1 Teacher

Year 2

What a hot week it has been! However, Year 2 did not let this deter them from some fabulous focus and commitment to their learning. The absolute highlight of the week was spending time at the Prep to escape the heat. Having spent Monday in their new form rooms and familiarising themselves with a day at the Prep, we were able to escape this.

In English, Year 2 relived the joys of last week’s trip to the Living Rainforest. The children were tasked with writing a recount of their visit, developing their understanding of how to structure a recount of an event. Learning activities included ordering photographs of the trip chronologically and discussing the day; using appropriate fronted adverbials to sequence events; and incorporating ambitious, engaging vocabulary into their writing. It was fascinating to read the range of perspectives and highlights shared by the children about this popular outing. Mr Smith was amazed by the quality of the outcomes and could hardly believe that this writing had been produced by Year 2 pupils – how fantastic!

In mathematics, the children have been learning about position and direction, movement and turns. They were excited to link the rich language required to access this topic to the algorithm work that they have completed in previous computing topics. They engaged in games and activities describing movement and giving instructions to move an object or person from one place to another. They realised that it is helpful to visualise which way an object or person is facing and which way it will be facing if it turns left or right. Use of the terms ‘clockwise’ and ‘anti-clockwise’ were introduced. The children then explored patterns that involve turns.

In science, the children have been observing the miraculous germination of our broad bean plants in class (plus examining a few “unlucky” seeds which didn’t manage to make it!). The seeds have transformed from seedlings into fully fledged plants, and this is supporting the children’s understanding of the stages of germination and what a seed and plant needs to grow. This will be concluded next week.

By Mrs Leissle – Year 2 Teacher

On the Sports Field

The boys have demonstrated great flexibility over the past few days in adapting to the changes imposed by the heat. It has certainly not dampened their enthusiasm for sport. When outside, the boys have made good use of the shade of the trees in the park, practising their throwing and catching skills in drills and enjoying small-sided games such as squares.

Indoors, the ever-popular dodgeball and indoor cricket have provided plenty of high-energy excitement, ensuring the boys remain active and engaged despite the conditions. Time spent cooling down in the form rooms has been put to good use too, with boys analysing the World Cup matches and the England v New Zealand Test, showing a keen interest in the game beyond their own participation. There have, of course, been plenty of well-earned water breaks along the way.

Happily, the weather looks set to cool just in time for a week full of House sport. Conditions are shaping up nicely for Sports Day on Monday (parents’ race competitors – start limbering up now!), followed by House Cricket on Tuesday and Wednesday.

With plenty of House points still up for grabs, there is much to play for and, as ever, lots of fun to be had as we approach the end of term.

By Mr Salt – Head of Sports

Prep Proms

The tenth annual Hampton Prep Proms Concert proved to be everything its programme promised: a joyful, moving and thoroughly memorable celebration of music, community and the remarkable talents of the School’s young performers.

Opening with a moving whole-school rendition of David Archuleta’s Glorious, the evening immediately established its warmly celebratory tone before showcasing an impressive breadth of solo and ensemble talent. Rohit delivered a beautifully sensitive piano interpretation of Remember Me, while the String Ensemble brought infectious energy to a rousing La Cucaracha. A particular highlight of the first half came from the vocal quintet of Alexander, Anay, Henry, Harry and James, whose confident performance of Alex Warren’s Carry You Home drew an enthusiastic response from the audience, before the staff themselves raised the roof with a thoroughly entertaining rendition of Bryan Adams’ Summer of ’69, much to the delight of children and audience alike.

Following a sunny and joyful interval picnic, the second half, if anything, surpassed the first. After a colourful and lively whole-school performance of Beautiful Creatures, Year 5’s exuberant Best Day of My Life captured the uninhibited joy of childhood, while Nikhil’s solo violin performance of Vivaldi’s Spring was a moment of burgeoning artistry that garnered the admiration of the crowd. The vocal ensemble of Siddarth, Arjun, Stefan and Archunan brought real maturity and feeling to Jess Glynne’s I’ll Be There, while Francis’s solo performance of Middle of a Moment from James and the Giant Peach was a confident and heartfelt rendition from a young performer who so clearly loves to sing. Year 6’s closing number, Golden, felt like the perfect send-off for the school’s leavers: bittersweet, bright and full of promise.

The emotional crescendo of the evening, however, belonged to the whole-school tribute to Mr Smith. In a feat of secrecy that caught the Headmaster entirely off guard, the children performed the traditional farewell song Pō Atarau in Māori with poise and sincerity, before parents were invited to join in for the English verse. It was one of those concert moments that transcends performance and becomes something altogether more human: a moving farewell from the whole School community.

The evening then closed in the most joyous fashion imaginable, with the Hampton Brass Ensemble joining the whole school for Kool & The Gang’s Celebration – words on screen, no excuses, and not a single person in the audience who needed them. Miss Bee’s programme notes spoke of sending everyone home with a full heart. On this occasion, the boys more than delivered.

Reflecting on this milestone event, Head of Music and Drama, Miss Bee said:

Ten years of music, ten years of memories, and ten years of watching remarkable young people grow and flourish before your eyes!

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By Miss Bee – Head of Music and Drama

Year 6 Visit Hampton School Labs

Goggles on, stopwatches ready and curiosity switched up to full power – Year 6 pupils enjoyed an afternoon of Science in the laboratories at Hampton School. Guided by First Year Teacher Mr Jimenez and Head of Chemistry Mr Schofield’s, pupils took on thrilling experiments, making predictions, testing theories and discovering the science behind surprising reactions.

First up was the iodine clock experiment. Pupils mixed two clear solutions before starting their timers and waiting for the magic moment. The liquid transformed from crystal clear to jet black in an instant. The boys then changed the quantities of the solutions to investigate how this affected the speed of the reaction, carefully recording and comparing their results.

The challenge continued with an acid and metals experiment. After writing their hypotheses, pupils added magnesium to hydrochloric acid and watched as the reaction burst into life with fizzing, bubbling and rising temperatures. Like true scientists, they recorded their observations, measured the temperature changes and used the evidence they gathered to draw their conclusions.

Packed with investigation and plenty of “wow” moments, the afternoon gave pupils the chance to experience chemistry and sharpen their scientific thinking.

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Year 5 Residential

The Year 5 trip to the Isle of Wight was an adventure from start to finish. From racing across the aqua park and digging giant holes on the beach to catching waves in wetsuits. Between friendly battles on the pickleball court and pirate-themed crazy golf, the boys threw themselves into every challenge with enthusiasm, creating memories that will last long after the ferry ride home.