FROM THE HEADMASTER

Sporting Successes

It has been a very special few days of excellent sporting news.  Last Friday, our 1^st VII team took part in the Regional IAPS Netball tournament held at Stamford School and I am delighted to say we were runners-up, just pipped to the post by Bromsgrove in a very close and exciting final. On route to the final, the girls beat Bilton Grange, Repton and Winchester House among others. This success means that the girls are through to the IAPS National Finals to be held next Friday, fortuitously on our doorstep at Rugby School.  It is some 18 years since our 1^sts were last in the national finals so a fantastic achievement by the girls. I wish them the very best of luck and I look forward to cheering them on from the sideline.

I was also delighted to hear how well our Cross-Country runners did at the Malvern College National Prep Schools event on Sunday.  As I said in the newsletter last week, it is a long and gruelling course up and down those Malvern hills.  All of our runners did brilliantly but I was particularly pleased to hear about our Senior Girls team who came 3^rd overall – mightily impressive out of all attending prep schools from up and down the country.

Tickets for Oliver!

Thank you to the very many of you who have requested tickets for one of our Oliver! performances in the final week of term.  We have been inundated with requests and so I am afraid there will be a few disappointed families as both nights are now full and we are operating a waiting list.  We will be confirming all the bookings and informing those on the waiting list early next week.  Please could I make a request that if you no longer need any of the tickets that you booked, that you let us know as soon as possible so that they can be reallocated.

World Book Day

This is always one of the most special occasions of the year when there is so much smiling and laughter throughout the day.  The children and staff looked an absolute picture in their costumes and they threw themselves into the many activities.  The spring sunshine certainly helped to turn it into one of the most joyous World Book Days we can remember.

Changes to Sports Fixtures Next Week

Please do note that next Tuesday afternoon we have a full block fixture of U8 and U9 Netball and Football matches against Swanbourne House here at Spratton.  I am sorry to say that for various reasons we are unable to provide match tea for parents afterwards.  I know for many of you the tea, sandwiches and cake afterwards are often the highlight of a match day, so I can only apologise!  Also, due to a variety of reasons, there are a number of changes to fixtures on Wednesday next week, so please do check the website and Socs extra carefully.

As mentioned above, as a result of the girls making it through to the Nationals, the Years 7&8 house matches scheduled for next Friday have moved to Wednesday 25 March.  Again, owing to it being the production that night, we are unable to offer a match tea afterwards.

Thank you

Simon Clarke
Headmaster

PRE-PREP

Spratton Hall Celebrates World Book Day!

What an immensely successful and joyful day Thursday was – every hour was bursting with imagination, laughter and a magical love of stories!

Watching the children arrive on the playground in the morning felt like a storybook springing open – Matilda could be seen clutching a newt ready to drop into Miss Trunchbull’s water, Paddington Bear scuttled across holding onto his hat, Harry Potter was adjusting his glasses and a Big Bad Wolf swept past with a mischievous glint in his eye – the excitement was infectious!

Story Themed Events Galore!

Our mid-morning costume parade was a true celebration of imagination and creativity. To enthusiastic cheers from the whole school, our Pre-Prep children proudly paraded their wonderful outfits around the playground, beaming with joy as they waved their swords, waggled broomsticks and swished their wands in the air.

Then, perusing through tables covered with colourful stories, thanks to your wonderful donations of books from home, our Big Book Swap enabled every child to take home a new exciting book to dive into.  Furthermore, we now have 3 large boxes of books ready to deliver to the children’s wards at Northampton General Hospital – spreading our love of books and reading even further.

Buddying up with the older children from the Prep School for our ‘Shared Reading’ event brought all the joy of poring over books together. Children lay on their tummies, curled up on cushions, or sat happily together in sunny corners of the playground, completely absorbed in tales of adventure, mischief and magic. It was heart-warming to see such genuine delight in reading shared across the age groups.

Story Time… with a Difference!

One of the highlights for many children was venturing off across the school to listen to stories read in unusual and exciting locations. The Estates Team downed tools, so that Mr Marriott could share a submarine adventure.  Mrs King found a cosy book nook in the Drum Room, the Head Master plumped up the cushions in his study and even our wonderful Finance and HR teams made space for groups of children in their offices right at the very, very top of the main hall.  We even had special guest story readers, with some wonderfully enthusiastic parents joining in the fun – Mrs Matts, Mrs Dexter and Mr Davies all wowed the children with their chosen stories, and we are truly grateful for their time. Finally, a police car swooping down onto the playground, complete with blue lights and sirens, really packed the action and adventure into a story time like no other!

A Day to Remember!

We are all still fizzing from the energy and excitement of such a truly memorable day.  A huge thank you to you the parents for the time and care that went into creating costumes, and to everyone across the school who helped make the day so special.

Pupil Achievements

Congratulations to the following children for their swimming achievements: Beatrice George – Level 3 and 15m, Lyra Weaver – Level 3 and 5m, Max Al-Azzawe – Level 2 and 5m, and Charlotte Inchley – Level 5.

Very well done to Constance Warner and to Romilly Boyson who have both received awards for their effort and skills in Skiing.

Congratulations to Edwyn Orr who’s listening and teamwork in football was recognised with a trophy.

Fiona Sanchez
Head of Pre-Prep

WORLD BOOK DAY

We all enjoyed a sunny exciting day on Thursday for World Book Day with pupils and staff dressing up as their favourite characters. Thank you to everyone for making such a fantastic effort!

Please visit the Gallery to see lots more photos of the day.

SPORT

National Prep Schools Cross Country 2026

Our pupils travelled to Malvern School for the National Prep School Cross Country Championships and it was almost the perfect day for running—dry, bright, and set against the stunning backdrop of the Malvern hills. After such a strong season, there was real excitement about how our teams would measure up against the very best independent school runners in the country—and they certainly did not disappoint.

In the Under 11 Boys’ race, which included 204 runners, the boys made a superb start and battled all the way to the finish. Eoin Fitzpatrick finished an outstanding 25th overall, with Rory Waite also running strongly to the line. Both boys should be incredibly proud, particularly as they were competing largely against Year 6 pupils.

The Under 11 Girls faced the largest field of the day, with 207 competitors. Despite a chaotic start, they quickly found their rhythm and attacked the hill with great determination, finishing a fantastic 14th out of 36 schools in the team competition. Sophia Slowey led the team home, followed closely by Alicia Szechenyi, Amelia Legg and Jemima Paul.

In a fiercely competitive Under 13 Boys’ race, run at a blistering early pace, our boys showed real resilience and grit to finish 13th as a team. George Docker was first home for us in an excellent 34th place, closely followed by Eddie Szechenyi, Oscar Phipps and George Guppy.

The Under 13 Girls were simply outstanding. The four girls ran with determination and superb teamwork, bringing out the very best in one another throughout the race. Mara Hamilton led the way with a brilliant 15th place finish, closely followed by Izzy Szechenyi, India Woollcott-Price and Anna Sanders. Their combined efforts secured a magnificent 3rd place overall—the first top-three finish at this event for over 10 years!

Spratton Hall Cross Country Festival 2026

On a beautiful afternoon for cross country—sunny skies above and plenty of mud underfoot—last week our junior teams competed in our own race, with many pupils taking part for the very first time. There was a real sense of excitement at the start line as our runners tested themselves against nine other schools, with some also keen to put right a few near-misses from the previous event.

The Year 4 boys delivered a strong and determined performance across both the A and B teams, with Arthur Foster leading the team home. The Year 4 girls were outstanding, once again finishing as runners-up in the team event. A special mention must go to Octavia Podesta who improved on her excellent second place at Swanbourne to win the race outright.

The Year 3 boys were simply fantastic, with the A team storming to victory in the team competition. Freddie Warner led the way and an extraordinary five of our runners finished in the top eight. Not to be outdone, the Year 3 girls matched that brilliance in remarkable style—their first five runners all finished in the top five. Aoife Ryan took the win, closely followed by Jasmine Zahiri-Mehrabadi, with Ottilie Osbourne completing a clean sweep of the podium places.

A huge well done to every single runner. Please stand so that we can give you a very well-deserved round of applause.

Swimming IAPS Qualifiers

Spratton entered 12 swimmers into the IAPS at Blue Coat School, Birmingham on Tuesday.  The pupils should be commended for their commitment and efforts in the pool. They should feel proud for being chosen to represent the school.  We will know if any of our times are quick enough for the Nationals when the other regionals have taken place.

Notable performances:-

U10 Girls Medley Relay – 2nd (3 schools) 1:49.89
U11 Boys Medley Relay – 3^rd (6 schools) 1:26.42
U11 Girls Medley Relay – DQ
U10 Girls Freestyle Relay – 2^nd (3 schools) 1:37.07
U11 Boys Freestyle Relay – 3^rd (6 schools) 1:13.25
U11 Girls Freestyle Relay – 4^th (6 schools) 1:23.08
U10 Boys 50m Backstroke – O Sharrock 1^st (42.62sec)
U11 Girls 50m Backstroke – G Balneaves 1^st (42.06sec)
U11 Boys 50m Breaststroke – C Turner 4^th (50.65sec)
U11 Girls 50m Breaststroke – A Kecker 3^rd ( 58.30sec )
U10 Boys 50m Freestyle – T Hassell 2^nd (44.32sec)
U10 Girls 50m Freestyle – O Podesta 3^rd (55.81sec)
U11 Boys 50m Freestyle – H Scott 4^th (41.56sec)
U11 Girls 50m Freestyle – J Dorrian 6^th (46.50sec)

MUSIC

NMPAT Brass Recital Team

On Wednesday morning Years 2, 3 and 4 were visited by the NMPAT (Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust) Brass Recital Team. They were treated to a fantastic concert which not only involved learning about how brass instruments work and their history, but also how to make a sound on these instruments. The final piece on the programme involved 16 of our own Year 3 & 4 budding brass players holding and playing a brass instrument for the very first time. Following on from this, the team took a selection brightly coloured trumpets and trombones, and a bag of mouthpieces, down to the Year 2 classrooms. Every pupil (and Mrs Sanchez!) experienced buzzing into a mouthpiece and playing an instrument. There were some very excited and proud faces as the children produced a range of different notes. We will be offering a Brass Club in the summer term to pupils in Year 2 and also trial sessions on a brass instrument over the coming weeks, for pupils in Years 3 & 4. Please see the letter sent out on Wednesday for further details.

Year 2 Choir – Regional Festival of Music for Youth – Saturday 14^th March

The Year 2 Choir are adding the finishing touches to their pieces ready for their performance as part of the Regional Festival of Music for Youth on Saturday 14^th March. A letter was sent out early this week to all those involved containing the final details.

Exam Success

Congratulations to Shanaya Phatak for gaining a distinction in her Grade 7 piano exam. This is an amazing achievement and very well deserved.

PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS

Well done to Bertie who attended the FIP Padel Competition in Belgium last week.  He competed against the best U12 and U14 players in Europe and gained one victory under his belt.  Good luck to him in his upcoming competitions.

NON-SCHOOL EVENTS