The Bulletin Edition 29

There are weeks when the world simply hands you a gift, and this has been one of them. Our assembly theme this term ‘The People on Our Planet’ has never felt more apt than in a week dominated by the Football World Cup! Football, of course, does something rather remarkable: it brings the map to life. Suddenly, nations that might otherwise remain abstractions on a page become real as their colours, their stories and their footballing identities are all on display and, if you are very keen on football, they remain front and centre as the competition unfolds.

3J gave us a wonderful World Cup assembly last week, and Mrs Murphy and her team wove the tournament beautifully into Pre-Prep assembly at the start of this week. Yesterday’s football kit themed mufti day was a great success and the funds raised will go to Water Aid from our Pre-Prep families and to the British Heart Foundation from the Prep boys.

Tomorrow the HPPPA Summer Festival, which I am reliably informed will be World Cup themed, shall be a fitting finale to a wonderfully football-flavoured week. I look forward to it enormously, as I do every year. It remains one of those rare occasions when the whole community can come together, relaxed and happy, and remembers what a very good place this is to be! Mrs Jepson and Mrs von Allemann have, as ever, brought this event together with their characteristic grace, generosity of spirit, and good humour, and I want to thank them both now, in advance and wholeheartedly for their incredibly hard work. Do please come along tomorrow because the funds raised on the day allow the HPPPA to invest in so many of the activities and experiences that make life at Hampton Pre-Prep & Prep that bit more special for every child.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

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

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

Pupils from Years 3 to 6 made waves at this year’s Swimming Gala, held at the Hampton Open Air Pool. The afternoon was packed with action as swimmers dived into a variety of events, including front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle races, alongside the crowd-favourite three-man raft race. There were plenty of splash-tacular finishes, fierce competition and plenty of poolside cheering.

“Yes, Chef!” echoed around the hall as Year 6 took part in a Mexican-inspired cookery workshop led by Hampton School’s Head Chef. Pupils rolled up their sleeves and got to work making their own tortilla-chip nachos, carefully seasoning them with oil, paprika and salt. They then prepared a selection of traditional toppings, including fresh salsa made from tomatoes, onions and peppers, as well as creamy guacamole and sour cream.

Year 6 pupils put their engineering skills to the test as they designed, built and launched their own water-powered rockets. Working in teams of two, the pupils transformed large plastic bottles into rockets by attaching carefully designed wings and adding a tennis ball to the base for stability. Once their creations were complete, the countdown to launch began.

Prep pupils were delighted to welcome Regency Bookshop to school, with the Library transformed into their very own bookshop for the day. Packed with a fantastic selection of titles, the book fair gave pupils the chance to browse the shelves, discover new authors and choose their next great read. There was something for everyone, from action-packed adventures and fascinating non-fiction to laugh-out-loud joke books and comic favourites.

Chris Harrison will be running a cricket camp at Hampton School at the start of the Summer Holidays. Each day will include skill based practices, net sessions and match play. The groups will be created each day to ensure each participant is in a group to suit their standard and confidence. A great way to make the most of the 2026 cricket season.

It has been another very busy week here in Pre-Prep, and time seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye. During Monday’s assembly, we geared up for the opening of the FIFA World Cup, learning about its history and the influence of Jules Rimet but we also reflected on the benefits of playing football as part of a team, linking all of this to our current theme, The People on Our Planet.   We discovered that England’s first international match took place as early as 1872, against Scotland on a cricket ground in Glasgow. This brought back memories of a previous Year 2 assembly, when we learned that cricket was, for quite some time, the nation’s most popular sport ahead of football! Do ask your child if they can remember the year the World Cup first began. 

Kindergarten started their week reading the story, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and were very surprised at how much the caterpillar ate before making its cocoon, before then developing into a beautiful butterfly. We looked very closely at the lifecycle of a butterfly, learning that the females lay eggs, which hatch into caterpillars. The caterpillars then feed on leaves, before building a cocoon or chrysalis and then undergo a complete metamorphosis, before emerging as a butterfly – and so the cycle goes on! This led to discussions about other lifecycles and we also talked about how a butterfly’s wings are symmetrical. 

Reception children got creative with their writing this week, imagining what it might be like to live as a farm animal for a day. They chose their favourite animal and pictured themselves waking up in a cosy barn, stretching their legs, and heading out to explore the farm. The children thought carefully about the sights, sounds, and adventures they might experience — even imagining races with other animals or a surprise visit from the farmer! 

It has been another lovely week in Year 1, with the children showing fantastic enthusiasm and creativity in all of their learning. In English, we have been planning and writing a letter to Paddington Bear, inviting him to join us for lunch at the Pre-Prep. The children did a brilliant job and have developed a great understanding of the important features of a letter, including greetings, questions, and sign-offs. They carefully planned what they wanted to say and worked hard to make their writing clear, polite, and engaging.

Year 2 have been thoroughly engaged in their learning this week. In English, the children have been developing their sequencing and composition skills through their work on Buddy’s Rainforest Rescue. They rose to the challenge of enhancing their writing by incorporating direct speech, experimenting with imaginative punctuation, and exploring a range of alternatives to the word ‘said’ to bring their dialogue to life.