The Bulletin Edition 6

A message from Mr Johal, who is the Headmaster today!

I am normally a pupil at Hampton Prep, but today I was the Headmaster! I have been writing a lot of stuff today. For example, this morning I wrote many certificates to give out to the teachers to explain to them what a good job they do and to make them feel happy. It was fun to give out the certificates because I was allowed in the staffroom and I think the teachers were overjoyed! Before lunch I helped Mrs Howard sort out and hand out the ‘Excellence Points’ badges for the boys in the Prep. At lunchtime I had a special lunch – only for Headmasters! – and I invited five friends to join me. In the afternoon I went to the Pre-Prep to read a story to the younger ones. It was wonderful being Headmaster for the Day because I could go into my office at the Prep and it was a fun day!

Mr Johal

I have been reflecting on the idea of 'standards' this week. As a Governor in a couple of other London schools (one state, one independent) I have the privilege of observing how two quite different educational leaders approach the unique challenges of their settings, and how they work to keep standards high. These insights are both fascinating and invaluable, offering a fresh perspective that helps me continually consider how we do things at Hampton Prep. I do not claim to be an 'expert' in school leadership; there is always more to learn, after all. I am therefore always on the lookout for the sort of inspiration that means school life here remains both enriching and relevant.

We often have conversations with concerned parents about the 'right' amount of screen time, especially for our older boys around their online gaming behaviours and what can start to become habits.

One of the great aspects of sport is its ability to teach us all sorts of lessons. Of course, you must be open and mature enough to learn and accept those lessons and this is what we saw with the Year 6s last weekend. On the Friday, they took part in the ISFA Middlesex tournament at Aldenham. They were in a tough group and needed to start strong. However, it was slow start and despite only conceding two goals in all their group games it was two goals that cost them a place in the next round. On reflection the boys realised they had lost an opportunity, but it was how they reflected and responded that impressed.

At Hampton Pre-Prep, we firmly believe that character is just as important as academic success. One of the key aspects of a strong character is having good manners. As the timeless phrase says, "manners maketh man." This idea reflects how good manners shape not only who we are but also how we are perceived by others. Beautiful manners—such as taking turns, listening attentively and not speaking over others—form the foundation of respectful and harmonious interactions, both inside and outside the classroom.

What an exciting time we’ve had exploring the wonders of autumn in Kindergarten this week! We all became detectives as we have noticed how the green leaves are turning vibrant shades of red, yellow and brown, before they flutter down from the trees like colourful confetti.

Well, what a fabulous week in Reception! We enjoyed a wonderful visit from Mr. Smith, who joined us for story time. He read Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival, a thoughtful story about a little girl named Ruby who struggles with a growing worry. Ruby tries to ignore it, but it only gets bigger until she learns the importance of sharing her feelings. Mr. Smith led some insightful discussions about worries, anxiety, and the value of talking about them. It was a valuable lesson in helping the children to understand and manage their emotions effectively.

In our phonics lessons this week, we have been talking about syllables – counting out the claps in our names and in various words. We practised building polysyllabic words like sandpit and shampoo – taking care to listen for all the individual phonemes in these words. We were interested to learn that s-a-n-d-p-i-t has seven phonemes but only two syllables.

Year 2 have had another action-packed week at school. We rounded the week off with the class reciting Edward Lear’s “The Jumblies”, mostly from memory. They were so passionate and invested in their performance. We are aiming to film Year 2 perform this next week!