FROM THE HEADMASTER
What a wonderful week of warm weather we have enjoyed and what a difference some sunshine makes. Let’s hope there is plenty more to come.
Scholarship Success
I am delighted to announce that Nathaniel Benn, Thomas Greany, Johan Jenkins and Ria Sharma and have each been awarded an Academic Scholarship to Rugby. This is a tremendous achievement for every one of them and a just reward for their hard work, academic abilities and determination over the last few months. It is also noteworthy for the school to have all four of our Rugby candidates awarded a scholarship. Huge congratulations to each and every one of them.
I am also so very pleased to report that Nathaniel has been awarded a Computing Scholarship, in addition to his music and the above-mentioned academic. He has worked so hard towards this and his portfolio (including his own website) is hugely impressive. Very well done to Nathaniel.
Staff News
As reported earlier in the year, Dr Gillam will be retiring at the end of this year. I am delighted to announce that I have appointed Mr Ben Jenkinson to join us as Head of Latin from September. Ben, who will also be teaching Games and other subjects, is currently at Maidwell, where he has built an excellent reputation. He and Mr Dow will create a pretty formidable Latin teaching team!
Sadly, Mrs Sibbald, one of our wonderful Learning Support teachers will be retiring at the end of this year. Along with other positions mentioned in previous communications, I will be appointing her replacement in the coming weeks.
World Book Day
As always, this was a feast of fun and colourful costumes across the whole school. There were many book related activities, from the Pre-Prep costume parade, to quizzes, to reading buddies, to book swaps and Pre-Prep enjoying story times in different areas across the school. We really thought the children (and perhaps parents too!) had given so much thought to their costumes this year and it was lovely to see some classes having a joined-up approach, dressing-up in ‘team costumes’. I am sure you have enjoyed seeing the photos and videos on our social media pages, particularly amusing and enjoyable was 5W’s take on Jurassic Park!
Malvern Cross-Country
I was so pleased to hear how well our pupils did at the National Prep Schools’ Cross-Country Championships at Malvern College on Sunday. Special congratulations to our Senior Girls team who came 4th out of 40 teams. Very well done to Isla Allsopp, Isabella Szechenyi, India Woollcott-Price and Bessie Sanders. Isla came an impressive 12th out of 200 runners and I must also mention Mara Hamilton in the U11 Girls’ race who came home in 10th place out of more than 200 runners. Well done to all who made the journey down to Malvern.
Next Week
Next week, we look forward to the Informal Music Concert on Monday at 5.30pm; the Year 6 Drama and Music production on Tuesday evening at 5.30pm. We also have the Year 8 Parent/Teacher meetings on Thursday at 6.00pm in the Dome, and then on Friday, Years 7 and 8 House Hockey and Netball.
Thank you
Simon Clarke
Headmaster
PRE-PREP
World Book Day at Spratton Hall: A Celebration of Stories and Imagination
With World Book Day celebrated across the world on Thursday, I feel an immense sense of pride when I say that our entire Spratton Hall School community truly pulled out all the stops! The result? A day that was nothing short of magical and brilliantly fantastic in every way.
Arriving at School – here comes Willy Wonka… Matilda… the Gruffalo …
You could sense the excitement fizzing through the air as characters such as Paddington Bear, Elsa, and Willy Wonka, complete with a giggling Oompa Loompa, made their way across the playground in the morning. The joy and anticipation were contagious!
Pre-Prep Costume Parade
Our mid-morning parade saw a dazzling array of costumes, props and wigs. To the rapturous applause and cheering of the entire school, our Pre-Prep children proudly showcased their costumes, as they paraded around the playground – Elsa twirled in a flurry of sparkles, Eeyore swished his tail and the Enormous Crocodile snapped his jaws. It was a sight to behold!
Share-a-Story – Buddying up with the Prep School
Animated chatter filled our classrooms as the Pre-Prep children excitedly turned the pages of their books, whilst listening to pupils from Years 6, 7, and 8 read to them. This event fostered a true love of reading – it was heart-warming to see the children lying on their tummies, cosied up on cushions and even sitting outside in the sunshine as they lost themselves in the joys of a good book.
The Big Book Swap
After some wonderful donations for our Big Book Swap, the Year 1 children did a fabulous job of sorting all the books into different categories, displaying them beautifully for all to see. Then, clutching their book swap tokens, each class took it in turns to browse the selection.
“There are so many books!” exclaimed a spellbound dinosaur.
“I can’t decide which one to choose!” replied Mary Poppins.
“I’ll help you,” volunteered the Tiger Who Came to Tea. “Just tell me what kinds of stories you like!”
Story Time with a Difference!
This event most definitely brought an extra spark of adventure to the day, as staff from across the school took storytelling to the most unexpected places!
To name just a few, Mr. Fowler, our Head of Catering, found a cosy corner of the kitchen to read I Will Never Eat a Tomato, and, over in the Estates Team workshop, Mr. Ellingham cleared away his tools to make space for a story. Mr Bradnam, our Director of Studies, took storytelling to the wild side, venturing into the leafy undergrowth by the cricket pavilion. Even Mr Clarke plumped up the cushions in his Head Master’s study, before launching into the tongue-twisting tale of Wonky Donkey.
A Day to Remember
These were just a few highlights from our fun-filled, memorable World Book Day celebrations. From start to finish, it was a day of book-themed fun and inspiration for everyone.
A huge thank you to parents for their time and effort in organising such wonderful costumes, and to everyone who played a part in making the day so special.
Fiona Sanchez
Head of Pre-Prep
PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS
Pre-Prep
Congratulations to the following children for gaining swimming awards: Hettie Deane – Level 1, Evie Clifton – Level 3, Francis Blakemore – Level 2 and Isabella Wiseman – Level 4.
Further congratulations go to Isabella Wiseman for gaining three 2nd place rosettes at a recent pony showjumping competition.
Finally, a huge well done to Daya Soomal who has completed Numbots and achieved her Diamond Award.
SPORTS NEWS
National Prep School Cross Country Championships at Malvern
Sunday was a perfect day for running—beautiful weather in a stunning setting at Malvern School. The Cross Country teams have performed exceptionally well this season, so it was always going to be exciting to see how they placed among the best independent school runners in the country!
U13 Boys:
The boys should be incredibly proud of their efforts in an extremely tough race, with the lead runners setting a blistering pace right from the start. As a team, they finished 27th, with Joe Barber as our first runner over the line.
U11 Boys:
This was the largest race of the day, with 208 competitors! After a superb start, the boys battled hard to the finish, securing 25th place out of 53 schools. Oscar Phipps led the team home.
U11 Girls:
What a race! After a chaotic start, the girls quickly found their rhythm, tackling the hills with determination to achieve a fantastic 23rd-place finish. A special mention to Mara Hamilton, who found herself boxed in at the start but fought her way through to finish as our first runner home in an incredible 10th place!
U13 Girls:
The four girls who made up this team ran outstanding races, demonstrating true teamwork to bring out the best in each other on the course. Isla was our first runner home, crossing the line in a superb 12th place, closely followed by Izzy, India, and Bessie. Their combined efforts secured an impressive 4th place overall—just one point behind 3rd!
Mr White
Head of PE
MUSIC NEWS
Monday 10th March – Informal Concert Years 3-7
We are really looking forward to the Informal Concert on Monday 10th March. Tea will be provided for those on the programme and for an siblings who have requested it. All are welcome to attend.
Saturday 15th March – Year 2 Choir, Regional Festival of Music for Youth
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 15th March. A letter was sent out early this week to all those involved containing the final details.
Mrs King
Director of Music
SCHOOL NEWS
Second Hand Uniform Donations
The School Shop would be grateful for any second hand uniform donations. If you have any please could you either drop them into the shop or leave outside.
Note we cannot accept shirts and grey shorts/trousers and please check the condition before you donate.
Thank you for your support.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Please click the link below to view the most up-to-date schedule for next week, including sports fixtures and clubs news.
NOTICES
