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Mrs Murphy’s News
The Open Homework projects that returned to school this week in response to our theme, Prime Numbers, were nothing short of spectacular. Every year, I look forward to seeing the children’s responses, and every year they somehow manage to exceed expectations. It never fails to genuinely impress and amaze me, in equal measure, the ingenuity, creativity and lateral thinking that this week inspires. From models and games to artwork, presentations and practical demonstrations, the sheer variety of approaches on display was remarkable. Who knew prime numbers could be explored, explained and celebrated in so many exciting and imaginative ways?
What was particularly pleasing was the evident thought, effort and enthusiasm that had gone into each project. The children clearly embraced the opportunity to think independently, make connections, solve problems and present their learning in ways that reflected their individual interests and strengths. Just as importantly, it was clear that the theme had sparked many thoughtful conversations around the dinner table, encouraged curiosity and provided opportunities for families to work together. That spirit of collaboration between home and school lies at the very heart of Open Homework, and I am incredibly grateful for the support, encouragement and time that you have invested in helping to bring these projects to life.
I hope you thoroughly enjoyed visiting the exhibition today and had the opportunity to appreciate not only your own child’s work but also the wonderful creativity and effort demonstrated across the year groups. The pride on the children’s faces as they shared their projects with friends and teachers was a joy to see and a reminder of how valuable it is to celebrate learning together.
This week, the Courtesy Cup and Badge was awarded to Arnav (Year 2). Mrs Timba has received multiple reports from teachers and staff across the school about Arnav’s exceptional manners. He has been going out of his way to speak directly to teachers, making good eye contact, asking how they are, and taking a genuine interest in their day. Arnav, your kindness, confidence, and thoughtfulness make such a positive difference to everyone around you. Well done!
and Stars of the Week were awarded to:
- Year 2: Oscar for wonderful expressive reading this week and for being consistently thoughtful and helpful. Thank you, Oscar!
- Year 1: Archie H for working very hard and producing amazing work!
- Reception: Keanu for his fabulous 2D shape superhero design.
More awards followed the above and so our congratulations to:
- Year 2: Congratulations to Anish for his excellent participation in football matches on Saturday and Sunday organised by We Make Footballers; he played really well, scored goals and contributed to his team’s victory. He was also praised for his performance and efforts on the pitch!
- Reception: Congratulations to Zachary on achieving his 5m aided swim certificate.
Half-term breaks always seem to arrive at exactly the right moment, offering a welcome opportunity for rest, relaxation and a chance to recharge before the next busy period of the school year… dare I mention the build up to Christmas! It is hard to believe how quickly this half term has passed. The weeks have simply flown by, yet they have been filled with an enormous amount of learning, discovery, achievement and fun.
Since returning to school, the children have settled beautifully into the routines and rhythm of their respective classrooms. They have embraced new challenges with enthusiasm, developed growing confidence and independence, and approached their learning with positivity and determination. Whether in the classroom, during sporting activities, through performances, creative activities or everyday acts of kindness, they have found many ways to make us proud.
As we reach the end of this busy and successful half term, every child should take a moment to reflect on all they have achieved. Their resilience, effort and commitment to making the most of every opportunity have been evident throughout. We look forward to welcoming them back after the break, refreshed and ready for another exciting chapter of learning and growth. In the meantime, I wish all our families a restful, enjoyable and well-deserved half-term holiday.
Kindergarten
This week in Kindergarten, we have been exploring the wonderful world of autumn!
We began by reading Don’t Hog the Hedge, a delightful story about Hattie the hedgehog, who is getting cosy for hibernation until some other animals decide they would like to snuggle up too. It is a lovely tale about friendship, kindness and sharing.
The story inspired us to learn about the many fascinating animals we see during autumn, including dormice, queen bumblebees, bats and hedgehogs, and how they prepare for winter. We sorted animals into two groups: those that hibernate and those that do not. We also discovered that some animals migrate to warmer places when the weather begins to get colder.
We watched an interesting programme about hedgehogs and learned why it is important to take care when raking leaves, as there may be a sleepy hedgehog hiding underneath. We also found out what happens at a hedgehog hospital before getting creative and making our own clay hedgehogs, complete with matchstick spikes and googly eyes.
After the weekend, the children brought in their wonderful autumn collections, and we had so much fun sharing our treasures. There were shiny conkers, twirling sycamore seeds, crunchy leaves, twigs of all shapes and sizes, and even fir cones. Using magnifying glasses, we closely examined the leaves and noticed their intricate patterns and details.
One of our favourite activities was hammering golf tees into enormous pumpkins. We also enjoyed reading Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper and discussing the importance of friendship and sharing. Inspired by the story, we got busy ‘cooking’ our own pumpkin soup by scooping out pumpkin seeds and mixing flour and oats together.
We met another dinosaur friend called Stickosaurus who is reminding us to keep trying when things are tough because practice helps us improve and make progress.
We were also delighted to share our fantastic prime number creations. Everyone did an amazing job presenting their projects to the class, and we were so proud of the confidence and enthusiasm shown by all the children. Well done!
After half term, our topic will be Autumn Festivals, where we will be learning about Guy Fawkes Night and the 5th of November, as well as celebrating and exploring the festival of Diwali.
By Mrs Hand – Kindergarten Teacher
Reception
Well, what a fabulous week in Reception!
On Thursday we enjoyed a wonderful visit from Mr Barr, who joined us for story time and read The Scarecrow’s Hat by Ken Brown. The story highlights the importance of kindness, cooperation and helping others. Throughout the story, Chicken wants the Scarecrow’s hat, but to get it she must help a series of animals. Each animal needs something different, and by helping one another, a chain of kindness is created. In the end, everyone benefits because they worked together and shared what they had. The children enjoyed discussing the moral of the story and reflected on how acts of kindness can spread and help solve problems more easily.
Our topic this week has been learning all about Harvest and Bread! On Wednesday, Reception took a fun trip to Pizza Express to explore the art of pizza making. The children had a fantastic time kneading dough, spreading tomato sauce and sprinkling mozzarella to create their very own pizzas. Guided by the chef, they also enjoyed using the delicious ingredients to make a Pizza Margarita. A huge thank you to our wonderful parent helper for making the trip possible and to Pizza Express Hampton Court for such an enjoyable experience!
In mathematics, we have been recapping the names and properties of 2D shapes and using these shapes to create our own pictures, developing both their mathematical understanding and creativity. We have also been developing the children’s recall and sequencing skills by retelling and describing the steps involved in making their pizzas. They worked hard to remember each stage in the correct order and many children used clear language to explain the process from start to finish.
On Friday, we kicked off the day at Mrs O’Brien’s Café, where the children made toast! They explored the differences between bread and toast, carefully used knives to spread toppings and practised cutting their toast into halves before enjoying their tasty creations.
In phonics, we have continued developing our blending skills, as well as practising the correct formation of the letters r, h and m.
Finally, don’t forget to fill your Autumn Treasure Bags this half term. We can’t wait to see the treasures you collect and hear everything about them after the break. We also look forward to seeing all the children’s holiday snapshots next term and the Reception children sharing their special memories with the class. When we, when we return to school we will be exploring Signs of Autumn and learning all about Nocturnal Animals.
Wishing you a lovely, leaf-crunching half term!
By Mrs Johnston – Reception Teacher
Year 1
We have had another lovely week in Year 1, rounding off a fantastic half term of learning! The children have worked incredibly hard and should be very proud of everything they have achieved.
In maths, we continued developing our understanding of place value, focusing on numbers from 11 to 20. The children have been learning to represent these numbers using tens and ones, helping them to understand how each number is made up. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they explore these new concepts.
During English, we brought together everything we have learnt over the past half term to write about our favourite toys. The children began by planning their ideas before turning them into beautiful pieces of writing. They made fantastic use of nouns, adjectives and verbs to bring their descriptions to life, and it was lovely to see their creativity shine through in their finished work.
In science, we rounded off our learning about autumn weather by revisiting the predictions we made earlier in the half term. The children were very excited to discover whether their predictions had come true and enjoyed reflecting on what they had observed and learnt along the way.
The children have worked so hard throughout this half term, and we are incredibly proud of their progress, enthusiasm and efforts. They deserve a well-earned rest, and I hope everyone has a wonderful half-term break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting half term of learning!
Have a lovely break!
By Miss Madden – Year 1 Teacher
Year 2
Well, we cannot believe it is the end of our first half term in Year 2 – we have been so impressed by the way the children are working and following the new rules and routines of the class. They deserve a lovely restful break!
In English, we have been focusing on common exception words, practising reading and spelling them accurately and using them correctly in our own sentences. The children also enjoyed taking an imaginative trip to a magical waterfall, which inspired some impressive pieces of creative writing filled with fantastic ideas and descriptive language.
In Maths, we concluded our work on place value and worked hard tackling some challenging word problems. The children practised identifying and highlighting key information before carefully unpicking each question to decide which operation was needed.
In Science, we completed an exciting investigation into gravity by making paper helicopters and testing how different numbers of paper clips affected their flight. We used stopwatches to time our results and discussed what our findings told us about the forces acting on the helicopters.
We will be sending home a pack of activities for the half-term break. There is absolutely no pressure to complete everything, and children are welcome to dip in and out of the activities as and when they have time.
Thank you for your continued support. We hope you all have a wonderful and restful half term!
By Mrs Timba – Year 2 Teacher
On the Sports Field
As we reach the half-term break, it is a fitting opportunity to reflect on what has been a superb start to the sporting year. Across the football programme, the boys have represented Hampton Prep with great distinction, combining excellent effort, teamwork and sportsmanship with some impressive performances and results. It has been particularly pleasing to see the progress made at every age group, not just in terms of skill and understanding of the game, but also in the way the boys have supported one another and embraced the challenges that competition brings. They should be proud of all they have achieved so far this term.
Today, attention turned to House Football, always one of the highlights of the sporting calendar. Excitement levels were high from the moment the boys arrived at Carlisle Park, with House spirit in full evidence throughout the afternoon. Conditions could hardly have been better, with overnight rain softening the ground before giving way to glorious sunshine and some equally glorious football. Across all the pitches, there was outstanding effort, excellent teamwork and no shortage of skill on display as the Houses battled for every point. With it being his last House Competition, Mr Ford stepped in to present the trophy to the winning House, and this year it was York who lifted it. Congratulations to them for their efforts.
I wish all the boys and their families a happy, active and energetic half-term break.
Week After Half-Term
Monday 2nd November
- U11 B–D v The Mall (Home at Hampton Prep) – 2:30pm
- U10 B–D v The Mall (at SCC) – 2:30pm
Tuesday 3rd November
- U8 B–D v The Mall (at SCC) – 2:30pm
- U9 B–C v The Mall (Home at Hampton Prep) – 2:30pm
- St Paul’s Cross Country – 8:40am–10:30am
By Mr Salt – Head of Sports
Open Homework
Our Pre-Prep and Prep pupils had fun exploring prime numbers during Open Homework! Take a peek at what they got up to…
ADHD Awareness Month
As October is ADHD Awareness Month, we would like to take the opportunity to celebrate the strengths, creativity and unique perspectives that children with ADHD bring to our school community. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) can affect attention, organisation, impulse control and activity levels, but with understanding, encouragement and the right support, children can flourish both academically and socially. ADHD Awareness Month is an opportunity to increase understanding, challenge misconceptions and promote inclusive environments where every child feels valued and supported. For families who would like further information, guidance or opportunities to connect with other parents, ADHD Embrace (adhdembrace.org) is a charity that supports parents, carers and professionals living and working with children and young people with ADHD through Knowledge, Advocacy and Empowerment, with the aim of improving the lives of children and young people with ADHD and their families. ADHD Embrace Richmond and Kingston provides local support and resources for families within the area.
By Mrs Andrews – Head of Learning Support (Prep)
HAMPTON PREP POETRY PARTY
Our recent Poetry Party took a lively quiz format, with pupils and parents putting their literary knowledge and creativity to the test. Teams tackled a range of exciting rounds, including Pop Song or Classic Poem?, Identify the Poetic Device and Unravel the Metaphor. There was plenty of laughter during the Consequences Haikuchallenge, while the fast-paced Speed Poem round saw teams racing to compose verses without using a set of banned words. The event combined teamwork, imagination and a love of language, making for a memorable celebration of poetry across the year groups.
By Miss Allott – Head of English
