FROM THE HEADMASTER
Minibuses ‘Shout-out’
I do enjoy seeing our five minibuses heading off every morning to bring the children into school, and our new return service is working well too. I am so grateful to our team of drivers for all their efforts – they fully deserved the ‘shout-out’ they received on the Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday. I know many of the children heard it and enjoyed hearing a brief mention for Spratton on the radio!
Year 7 in Paris
I have enjoyed seeing the photos on our social media pages of Year 7 enjoying their time in Paris. They have certainly packed a great deal into their few days in the French capital. I am sure Year 7 parents will enjoy hearing the many exciting tales that the children will tell on their return later today.
Remembrance
On November 11th we will be holding our annual Remembrance Day short service at 11am. This is one of the few occasions where the entire school comes together but we are also pleased to invite any veterans to attend and, if you do, please do know that medals may be worn.
Fireworks Party
When we return in November we have the SHSPA Fireworks Party to look forward to in the first week back on Friday 7th. Mr Dow and Mrs Sanchez will write to parents after half term with practical details of how the event will run. At this early stage, with so many people attending I do want to make a request that if you are able to lift-share or, if you live locally walk into school, it would greatly help the flow of the car park.
Peter’s Life Celebration
Further to my mentions in recent newsletters, we held a memorial celebration following the sad passing of Peter Mellor who taught at Spratton for many years. His wife, Christine, and grown-up children Becky and James have asked if I could pass on the following message to all those in the Spratton community who have contacted them or attended the event:
“We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to everyone who has written and shared their thoughts and memories with us, and to all those who joined us yesterday and made Peter’s Celebration of Life extra special. He would have been deeply touched. It has meant a great deal to us and it has been a very humbling experience to hear how Peter is remembered and the impact he had. We’re so very grateful and can’t thank you all enough.
Christine, Becky and James”
I am pleased to announce that the pavilion on Arthur’s Square, where Peter spent many happy hours coaching cricket, will now be known as ‘Peter’s Pavilion’.
Half Term
Finally, after this long stretch of term everyone is in need of the two-week break. I do hope the children have a restful and enjoyable fortnight and if you are travelling I wish you all a safe journey. See you in November!
Simon Clarke
Headmaster
PRE-PREP
Happy Diwali!
This week, the Pre-Prep children have been finding out all about Diwali – the beautiful Festival of Light celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists. Although the festival itself begins next week, the children have been captivated by its colours, stories and traditions. From listening with fascination to the story of Rama and Sita, to designing intricate Rangoli patterns and decorating twinkling divas, they have loved exploring the many ways Diwali is celebrated.
Our Diwali Dance Workshop was a wonderful highlight — led by a visiting specialist, the children twirled their hands, stretched their bodies and pointed their toes with energy and delight, bringing the excitement and sparkle of the Festival of Light to life.
Year 1 Assembly – A Roaring Success!
Year 1 performed a rip-roaringly fabulous assembly on ‘Dinosaurs’ on Thursday, much to the delight of a very proud audience. Channelling their inner palaeontologists, the children shared fascinating facts about fossils and prehistoric life – they even shared some staggering evidence that, just maybe, dinosaurs have been roaming the grounds of Spratton Hall totally unnoticed! Showcasing their blossoming Literacy skills the children also treated us to a wonderful re-tell of the story, The Little Green Dinosaur, demonstrating beautifully how they had internalised the story structure and vocabulary. A dino-mite assembly that left us all smiling!
Magical Music in Reception
There’s something truly special about those moments when children are learning and discovering — you can almost feel the magic in the air. That magic was certainly alive in Reception’s Music lessons this week. With her enchanted ‘magic beater’, Mrs King tapped the colourful patterns on a wizard’s hat, each touch bringing to life the gentle tinkle of Indian chime bells, the bright ring of hand bells, or the soft shimmer of chime bars. The air filled with beautiful, shimmering sounds – a spellbinding symphony of curiosity and joy!
‘Get Arty This Autumn’ – Half Term Challenges
Finally, as the children prepare to recharge their batteries and enjoy some wonderful family time over the holidays, they might like to take up one (or both!) of my half term challenges. I have invited the children to ‘Get Arty this Autumn’ (please see my letter emailed to parents yesterday) alongside striving for a ‘Top Bot’ certificate by completing their activity goal on Numbots (Years 1 and 2) of just ten minutes per week.
Pupil Achievements
Congratulations to Isabella Wiseman who achieved 6th place in her event at the Burleigh Pony Trials.
Very well done to Nina Cousens who has gained her Level 1 Award in Swimming and to Edith Bromwich who has gained her Level 4 Award and 20m certificate.
Congratulations to Jacob Ayensah who achieved the ‘Smasher of the Week’ award in Tennis.
Further congratulations go to Rafe Naden-Robinson for achieving his green belt in Tae Kwando and to Reuben Lofts who achieved recognition for his effort and skill in a recent rugby tournament.
Fiona Sanchez
Head of Pre-Prep
ART
Artist of the Week – Goes to Carrie Qi (8M) for such fantastic progress in her self-portrait project! She has shown great improvement in using light and dark tones and is really enjoying experimenting with acrylic paint to bring the painting to life.
MUSIC
Music Lessons
Should you wish to terminate your child’s individual music lessons from the start of the Spring term, notice must be received by October half term.
Informal Concert – Thursday 13th November
The programme has now been finalised for the Informal Concert on Thursday 13th November. Letters will be sent out after half term to the parents of all the children that have been invited to perform.
THE LIGHTHOUSE
SCIENCE
The ‘In Our Element’ girls’ science club have been investigating reverse motion linkage levers by making some flappy owls. When you apply a force to the linkage in one direction causes the load to move in the opposite direction (as you pull the central stick downwards the wings move upwards).
RUGBY SCHOOL SCIENCE QUIZ
Two teams of six Year 5 pupils headed to Rugby School on Tuesday to take part in their brand new Science Quiz against a number of other Prep schools. The afternoon boasted over two hours of quizzing with the children answering rounds on all areas of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. With each round tackled as a team, there were challenging questions; chromatography experiments to complete; scientific objects to identify; dingbats to unravel; and facts aplenty to recall.
At the midway biscuit break, impressively both the Spratton A Team of Lexi, Arlo, William, Evan, Jeevan and Olivia and the B Team of Thomas, Oliver, Bethany, Harry, Reggie and Alice were both tied in 3rd place!
More fun rounds followed before the end, where the children were then all treated to an explosive chemistry demonstration, listening well and showing respectful audience participation. When all the points were counted, the Spratton A Team managed to move up to finish the day in a very impressive 2nd place overall.
We look forward to returning next year with two more hopeful teams.
Mr Canty
HOUSE COMPETITIONS
Junior House Maths Competition
1st – Raleigh, 2nd – Frobisher, 3rd – Drake, 4th – Grenville
EQUESTRIAN
EQUESTRIANSpratton Hall riders had a fantastic weekend at the Bloxham Eventer Trial, competing in both the 65cm and 80cm team events, as well as in a number of individual classes. Everyone rode brilliantly and represented the school with great spirit and determination.
In the 65cm team — Imogen, Annabelle, Aoife and Chloe — Spratton Hall finished a superb 3rd overall, with some excellent individual results:
Annabelle – 3rd place
Chloe – 8th place
Willa – 9th place
Our 80cm team — Emily, Flo, Isabella and Kitty — also rode brilliantly to secure a strong 4th place, showing great teamwork and consistency throughout. Well done to Ottilie, who took on the 80cm as an individual and had a great round.
There were lots of new combinations and first-time Arena Eventing competitors, so a huge well done to all the riders for their effort, teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the event. You made Spratton Hall very proud!
Katie Wiseman
PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS
Congratulations to Oliver who secured personal bests in all six swimming events at the Warwickshire District meet, gaining three silver medals and one bronze medal. Oliver is hoping to secure more times for the Warwickshire County Championships.
Well done to Grace Evans who has been selected for the Northants County Hockey U13 squad following a trial last weekend.
I am absolutely delighted to share some wonderful news with you regarding recent Computing success.
In the summer, Astrid in Year 6, entered a Coding Competition run by the Chartered Institute for IT. The theme was Online Safety and Astrid had to create a piece of coding that highlighted the importance of Online Safety
Astrid’s coding entry impressed the judges so much that she was awarded 1st Prize in her category – an outstanding achievement!
Her creativity, problem-solving and programming skills really stood out in what was a competitive field. It is a fantastic recognition of her hard work and talent and something she should be incredibly proud of.
Well done Astrid!
Mr McKenna
LOST PROPERY
Found in School Shop – child’s ‘Croatia’ sailor’s hat and blue/white stripe t-shirt
SECOND-HAND UNIFORM
SHSPA
Cheese & Wine Tasting
To book visit the SHSPA Events Shop
Fireworks Party
To book visit the SHSPA Events Shop
SCHOOL SHOP MANAGER
We are looking for a friendly, organised parent to run our school shop – just a few hours each week.
You will be the warm, welcoming face for new families, helping parents navigate blazers, ties and the ever growing collection of sports kits (yes, even the rugby socks!). It is a wonderful way to be right at the heart of school life, supporting children and parents alike.
You will be the go-to guide for parents as they journey through our uniform requirements.
To see the job specification and how to apply, please visit the Vacancies page of our website.
POPPY APPEAL
After half term pupils will have the opportunity to purchase poppies in aid of the Royal British Legion. Year 8s will be on the terrace before school, during lunchtimes and at 4.00pm home time if anyone would like to donate or purchase their poppy. There is a suggested donation of 50p for a paper poppy, £1 for clip-on poppies and £2 for metal badges and slap bands.
Thank you for supporting us to help make a difference.
