Friday 3rd October 2025

Adding a parent’s perspective, Marja – mum to Hugo, Tess, Philip, Ben, and Mia – spoke about the valuable role Upper Prep has played in shaping her older children’s success.
The evening rounded off with heartfelt video messages from alumni Julien and Bethany, both of whom left in 2018 but still carry fond memories of their time at Barrow Hills. And this is just the beginning – keep an eye out for more alumni stories in the weeks ahead!

We will be repeating Life at the Top on Wednesday October 15th at 8.30am so please join us if you missed it.
Year 8 have enjoyed reading WW1 poetry this week. I attended a very interesting online GCSE poetry course on Wednesday afternoon and I can’t wait to bring some of the ideas into class next week to extend and support the children and hopefully, make poetry even more exciting and accessible. The techniques they learn in Year 7 and Year 8 can be used all the way through their school journey – right up to A level.

I have been very impressed with the kind and helpful behaviour of the children in Year 7 and Year 8 during our very sunny break times this week. Thank you to Oscar, Charles and Eddie who spent their break playing with the younger children and helping them build structures with the new construction kit. Thank you also to Dylan, Henry, Tom and Philip who played football with some of the Year 3, 4 and 5 children – even teaching them how to take a penalty! It is great to see our older children supporting the younger ones in this way.

Finally, our School Council has been particularly active this week. Our Head Boy, Dylan and Head Girl, Delilah, plus our Upper Prep representatives, Henry and Bertie, attended a meeting with our catering team to give some feedback about the school food. Thank you all for representing the views of Upper Prep so clearly!

Some dates for your diary:

Wednesday October 15th : Life at the Top in the chapel at 8.30am.

Best wishes,

Mrs Mason, Head of Upper Prep

I am very excited to have introduced a new weekly award: the Head of Prep Star Award – or HOPstar for short! This award is designed to celebrate those children who go above and beyond, whether academically, personally, or in the way they contribute to school life.

Looking ahead, there is much to be excited about next week. Year 3 will be welcoming the History Man for a lively and interactive workshop on the Vikings, which promises to bring their topic to life in a truly memorable way. Year 6 will be heading off to Legoland, combining science-based learning with plenty of fun. And on Friday, we look forward to our Open Morning, a fantastic opportunity to showcase our wonderful school.

I wish you all a restful weekend.

Miss Tyrrell, Head of Prep

It was great to see parents of Reception children attend our Phonics Workshop yesterday morning. Hopefully this was a helpful insight into how we deliver phonics teaching in Reception, and indeed across Pre-Prep, and that you are now increasingly familiar with some of the terminology and strategies around Read Write Inc. If you have any further questions regarding phonics teaching, please do not hesitate to contact us and we’ll be very happy to help. If you were unable to attend, the slides are now available on the Parent Portal.

A week today is Open Morning which is a wonderful opportunity to explore our school, meet our dedicated staff, and experience first-hand the nurturing environment we create for our young learners. If you or someone you know would be interested in finding out more about life at Barrow Hills from Reception and beyond, do register your interest with our registrar at https://www.barrowhills.org/admissions/visit-barrow-hills/open-mornings/

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Mrs Barnett, Head of Pre-Prep

School Notices

House Swimming

Open to all pupils from Year 3 – 8
Pupils can sign up using the notice board under the arch – near the dining hall.
Tuesday 7th October 5-6pm at KESW

Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair

We are excited to announce that we are hosting a Christmas arts and crafts fair on the 29th of November 11-4 pm with over 20 high quality arts and crafts makers as well as food, drinks and carols. We have a few spaces left and as part of our community we would love to see staff, students, friends and family to have a stall or to attend and support our first Arts and Crafts fair.

Please contact our Head of Art- Mrs Waller at rsw@barrowhills.org

BHCC

Bacon Butties were a welcome treat on this foggy morning, and helped raise £157.64. The Bacon Butty stall runs every single Friday, serving a selection of delicious breakfast treats and hot drinks, and is a fabulous meeting point for everyone to catch up at the end of the school week.

Thanks to our amazing team and the community for your support!

Bonfire Night & Fireworks Display

The Barrow Hills Community Committee is delighted to invite you to our annual Bonfire Night Celebrations.

Tickets are available to purchase below or with cash at the Bacon Butties Stall on Friday mornings.

https://www.trybooking.com/uk/FJLR

Bridewell Schools Autumn Term Offer