FROM THE HEADMASTER
Somehow we have (almost) reached the end of term. The late summer September days are but a distant memory and the 3½ months since have rushed by. It has been another busy but festive week with so many events and still more to look forward to next week. Owing to the fact that we finish on Wednesday, this will be the final Newsletter of the term.
Scholarship Success
I am delighted to announce more scholarships achieved by members of Year 8. Very well done to Bertie Edwards who has been awarded a Cricket Scholarship to Oundle. Congratulations, too, to Elliot Briggs, Henry Sandall, Isabella Szechenyi and Lewis Toms, each of whom have been awarded a Sports Scholarship to Uppingham. A fantastic achievement by them all.
SHSPA Christmas Fayre
The children thoroughly enjoyed attending the Christmas Fayre on Wednesday. There was great excitement particularly when the reindeer and Santa himself made an appearance. Enormous thanks to the whole SHSPA team for giving up their time and for working so hard towards it, particularly to Emma Drage and Polly Hamilton for overseeing the whole event. The children and I are very grateful, indeed, to them all.
Christmas Concert
The Christmas Concert on Monday was, as ever, a splendidly festive event. Very well done to all of the performers involved. It is so good to see the key groups, ensembles and choirs performing and showcasing their work from the term. As ever, well done and thank you to Miss Govier and Mrs King and their wonderful team of peripatetic teachers.
A Dickensian Year 5 Drama Production
Next week we look forward to the Year 5 Drama Production at 5.30pm on Monday. We will be enjoying their take on Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Carol Services
The Carol Services are always such a magical and unique way to end to this term. These are such special occasions with the Choirs singing at both services and, of course, the entire congregation singing traditional Christmas carols, with the wonderful descants from the Choirs, all interspersed with traditional Christmas readings.
These busy events are always extremely well attended so please do get there in good time and because parking is so limited around the church, please do park at school and walk to the church. Do remember that the Years 3, 4 & 5 service is at 3pm on Tuesday, whereas the Years 6, 7 & 8 service is at 2.45pm on Wednesday. I look forward to seeing you there.
Finally, it just remains for me to say a big well done for everything the children have achieved this term and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Simon Clarke
Headmaster
PRE-PREP
Christmas activities and cheer have rippled merrily on throughout the week, culminating in a sparkling bumper day of festive fun and giggles today.
Christmas Jumper Day and ‘Christmas Cracker Lunch’
Spilling into our dining room, wearing an array of playful Christmas jumpers and festive colours, our Christmas lunch provided a joyful end to another busy and bustling week – with a twinkling tree and festive tablecloths, the atmosphere was quite magical. Following the snap and pop of crackers, we tucked into traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings, or a delicious vegetable wellington wrapped in crumbly flaky pastry. Crispy roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots and, of course, the obligatory Brussel sprouts completed the main course. This was followed by sticky Christmas pudding, juicy satsumas and little mince pies. With festive music playing and plenty of amusing cracker jokes to enjoy, it was a very special occasion indeed.
Pre-Prep Welcome the Spratton Hall String Quartet
Our week has been sprinkled by many uplifting musical experiences this week. On Wednesday, Charlotte, Shanaya and Jessica from Year 8, along with Clara from Year 7 treated us to a wonderful selection of festive tunes, played skilfully and beautifully on their violins and cello. The Pre-Prep children were totally mesmerised, sitting wide-eyed and still as the music surrounded them. Many even left the performance brimming with inspiration to be just as musical and talented as their friends in the Prep School one day.
Year 2 Choir – Jingle all the Way!
This afternoon could not be finishing in a more perfect way. Coming together with Mrs King and the Year 2 Choir each week is one of the highlights of my week – we fizz with energy and excitement as we sing our hearts out – quite something for a Friday afternoon! Today will be rather special as the Choir are inviting their parents in to gather around our twinkling tree and enjoy some warm mince pies, whilst we entertain with a selection of our favourite songs from this term. A festive treat to end the week!
Pre-Prep Theatre Trip and Christmas Parties – Next Week!
Venturing off on their theatre trip on Monday, the excitement will continue next week with an opportunity for our Pre-Prep children to sit back, relax and watch professional actors at work.
Following this, the children will need to recharge their energy levels ready for their Christmas parties on Tuesday – fingers crossed, a very special visitor will be making an appearance too!
Finally, a little reminder that the Pre-Prep term finishes at 3.00pm on Wednesday 17th December. Children with older siblings may stay until 4.00pm, however, there is no Stay and Play Late Duty on this day.
Pupil Achievements
Congratulations to the following children for their swimming awards: Emilia Fahey – Level 2, Charlotte Inchley – 400m, and Zianah Somani-Pham – medals for front crawl and back stroke.
Very well done to Beau Thomson-Forbes who has gained his green belt in Karate, and was awarded ‘Star of the Week’ in his gymnastics club.
Congratulations to the following pupils for their equestrian achievements: Willa Jack – 2nd fastest in 60cm jumping event, Isabella Wiseman – 6th in 50cm jumping event.
A special mention must go to Poppy Wiseman and Hector Jack, who made their debut for the Spratton Hall Equestrian Team at Pickering Grange, with remarkable confidence and composure, finishing joint 2nd in their class. Hector and Poppy have also successfully secured individual qualifications for Hickstead.
Congratulations to Constance Warner for achieving her Level 7 Award in Gymnastics.
Very well done to Nina Cousens for earning her first stripe in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Well done to Rex Hartley for gaining the ‘Smasher of the Week’ award in Tennis.
Final congratulations go to Edith Bromwich and Emma Hassell for completing a 2.5k Santa Fun Run.
Fiona Sanchez
Head of Pre-Prep
MUSIC
Christmas Concert
The Christmas Concert on Monday was a fabulous evening of entertainment. The audience were treated to a range of musical genres and styles of music and were left feeling very Christmassy! All the music ensembles have worked hard in rehearsals this term and performed brilliantly. The concert really did showcase the amazing musical talent that we have in the school. A huge well done to all those that took part.
Senior Choir
There will not be a Senior Choir rehearsal after school on Tuesday 16th December.
Carol Services
Our Carol Services, which take place on the last two days of the term, are something that we always look forward to. Spratton Singers and the Year 5 Choir members will be singing as part of the Junior Carol Service on Tuesday 16th December and the Years 6, 7 & 8 Choir members will be singing as part of the Senior Carol Service on Wednesday 17th December. Parents are most welcome to attend.
Exam Results
Congratulations to the following pupils for their excellent exam results.
Violin
Grade 4
Clara Benn – Pass
Grade 5
Charlotte Berry – Merit
Clarinet
Grade 1
Lexi Mercer – Distinction
Guitar
Grade 1
Theia Hawkyard – Merit
Grade 2
Alicia Szechenyi – Merit
Clara Kecker – Merit
Octavia Podesta – Merit
Elouise Scears – Pass
Grade 5
Devraj Sehmi – Pass
Instruments
Please can pupils ensure that all instruments and music folders are collected before we finish for the Christmas holiday.
Finally, we would like to thank everybody for their continued support throughout the term.
Mrs King
EQUESTRIAN
EQUESTRIANSpratton Hall Equestrian enjoyed a highly successful and action-packed weekend across three major competitions, with riders from Reception through to Year 8 showcasing talent, determination and excellent sportsmanship throughout.
Bury Farm Regional Championship – 6th Dec
The weekend began at the Bury Farm Regional Championships, where Izzy Corbett delivered two excellent, confident rounds against a very competitive field.
Results: 5th – 70cm Regional Final, 5th – RPL 80/85cm
These two top-five placings secured two qualification tickets to the Hickstead Finals in August 2026 — a superb achievement and a testament to Izzy’s consistency and hard work.
Pickering Grange – Sunday 7th
On Sunday, attention turned to Pickering Grange, where the team continued their show jumping campaign. The day included impressive performances from some of Spratton Hall’s youngest riders making their competitive debut.
Outstanding Debuts from Our Youngest Riders
Representing the school for the very first time, Poppy and Hector (Reception & Year 1) rode with remarkable composure and confidence, finishing joint 2nd in their debut class.
Both riders also secured individual Hickstead qualification tickets — an extraordinary result and a wonderful milestone for our youngest team members.
Older Riders Continued the Momentum
The success continued throughout the day, with strong rides across the board:-
Isabella – 6th in the 50cm
Willa – 2nd in the timed 60cm with a brilliantly competitive round
Annabelle – 5th in the 70cm
In the biggest class of the day, Spratton Hall riders shone once again:-
Flo – 1st in the 80/85cm, taking a superb win on a tough course that caused plenty of issues and with a new partnership!
Annabelle – 4th in the 80/85cm, rounding off a very strong class for the school in her first go at this height!
Every Spratton Hall rider competing at Pickering Grange secured individual Hickstead 2026 qualifications in all their classes, marking an exceptional day for the team.
Aston-le-Walls – Sunday 7th
Meanwhile, over at Aston-le-Walls, our 65cm Arena Eventing Team — Imo, Chloe, and Eef — represented the school in one of the final rounds of the Bloxham Eventer Series.
Team Result:
4th Place – Team, Individual Placings:- 12th – Chloe, 14th – Eef
This was a brilliant effort over a technical course, demonstrating accuracy, bravery and strong partnership across both the show jumping and cross-country phases.
A huge well done to all riders, ponies and supporters for an outstanding weekend. Team Spratton continues to go from strength to strength — roll on Hickstead 2026!
CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY
We all donned our festive Jumpers and accessories for our annual Christmas Jumper Day, donating £1 towards Air Ambulance, MS Society and Parkinsons UK.
SHSPA CHRISTMAS FAYRE
An enormous thank you to SHSPA for putting on another fantastic festive fayre!
Parents and pupils loved the amazing games, stalls, entertainment and refreshments. The usual favourites were the teddy tent, reindeer food stall and of course the jolly jars! The stalls were run by both the SHSPA team and our amazing Year 8 pupils.
PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS
Well done to the Year 8s who took part in a Santa Fun Run raising money for their chosen charities, running between two and five kilometres, all wearing festive Santa Outfits! Isabelle, Grace, Maude, Martha, Kyla, Toby and George completed the event for MS Society, Air Ambulance and Parkinsons’ UK. They were also joined by younger Spratton pupils and, between them all, they have raised over £800 for their respective charities!
Congratulations to Sophia Hodgkins who took part in a Gymnastics Club Championship and managed to get gold in vault, bars and floor and silver in beam.
Well done to Thomas Hodgkins who has been awarded his purple belt for karate.
Congratulations to Shanaya Singh and Grace Balneaves who have been selected for U11 Northamptonshire County Cricket and will begin training in January.
LOST PROPERTY
Found – new packet of terrarium pincers found in carpark!
NON-SCHOOL EVENTS
Oh No He Isn’t …
Mr Bradnam will be appearing as the Dame in Rugby Theatre’s pantomime ‘Treasure Island’ at the end of January. It would be great to see as many of the pupils and parents there during the run of shows. There are 13 shows available between 23rd January and 1st February. Bookings can be made from the link below. It is a great traditional, family orientated panto so come along and enjoy the show.
Rugby Theatre Panto – Book Tickets
