Friday 1st May 2026

News from Upper Prep

It has once again been a busy and productive week in Upper Prep. Co-curricular clubs started this week and the children in Year 7 and Year 8 tackled a range of clubs, including sport, STEM, mountain biking and art with their usual enthusiasm and energy.

The children in Year 8 enjoyed a visit from geologist, Mr  Aspray.  They were fascinated by the rare materials he discovered during his varied career and interested in his predictions for energy in the future.

Several children from Year 7 and Year 8 experienced a boarding taster session at King Edward’s on Thursday night – and I know they all really enjoyed the experience, especially the food!  They had great fun sharing a dormitory with their friends and were back at Barrow Hills on Friday morning, well rested and ready to face the day ahead!

A team of children from Upper Prep, plus two excellent cricketers from Year 6, took part in the Cricket IAPS at Highfield on Friday and I know Mr Mullins was very pleased with their tenacity and focus.

On Friday, we celebrated Barrow Hills School’s 75th birthday.  This started with an assembly from Philip, Reuben, Ben, and James (assisted by Charlie on IT!) where they shared some old photographs of Barrow Hills in the 1950’s.  It was so interesting to see how much the School has changed over the years.  We also enjoyed a fantastic lunch – complete with cake – and some games and sports from the 1950’s.  It was wonderful to see the older children supporting the younger ones.

Finally, I hope you all have a wonderful bank holiday weekend.  Hopefully we will have some sunny weather!

Mrs Mason, Head of Upper Prep

News from Prep

Firstly, Happy 75th Birthday to Barrow Hills! I am sure the children will fill you in on today’s festivities, but suffice to say we celebrated our wonderful school in style, with a picnic lunch, some fun games, and of course, a birthday cake! It is lovely to witness the genuine warmth felt by the staff and children towards the school. I am sure many happy memories were made and that they have had the best day today.

This week, Years 5 and 6 have ably demonstrated the Barrow Hills value of being scholarly, with a full schedule of exams keeping them busy. They have tackled these assessments with maturity, remaining focussed and calm, and showing real camaraderie in supporting one another and keeping spirits positive. Well done!

On Tuesday, some of the Year 3 and 4 children travelled to Edgeborough for an inter-school Athletics event. The sports department were very proud of how well they represented the school, displaying tenacity, bravery and great sportsmanship.

Thank you to all of those parents who joined us earlier this week for the information evening about the forthcoming Year 4 residential trip to Sayers Croft. This is a great “first residential” experience, and I hope you found the talk useful.

All that’s left to say is ‘Bon Voyage’ to Year 6, who head off to Snowdonia on Monday for their residential, and thank you to Mrs Burnett, Mr King, Mr Hinds and Mr Mullins who will accompany them. I look forward to hearing all about your adventures when you return!

Have a lovely weekend,
Miss Tyrrell, Head of Prep

News from Pre-Prep

This week has seen the start of our extracurricular clubs and it’s been great to see so many children registering to enjoy the range of activities on offer. There is space in Chess Club on Thursday afternoons and if anyone is interested then please let us know. Swimming lessons are also in full swing which the children are delighted about. Details regarding the return of the Year 1 and 2 Swimming Club on Thursday afternoons will be coming soon.

Last week, you will have received your Summer Term welcome letters outlining transition arrangements for this term ahead of September. These include helpful information to support your child as they prepare for the next step, so please do take a moment to read through them if you haven’t already, particularly for Kindy and Year 2.

Reception have been the first Pre-Prep class to head over to the Science lab to further develop their learning this term. Mr Behan (Head of Science) and Mrs Rogers gave the children a very interesting introduction to the wonderful world of minibeasts. Mr Behan was particularly impressed with the questions from the children which really reflected their deep thinking on the topic.

Today has been a very special day for our school as we celebrated our 75th anniversary! The children have been enjoying activities to mark the occasion, and it’s been wonderful to reflect on our school’s history and celebrate our community together. The sports activities on the Headmaster’s Lawn were great fun, particularly the egg and spoon race! The buffet lunch with the whole school outside the front of the Great Roke was a wonderfully memorable occasion with the cake cutting after singing Happy Birthday, and ice cream at the end of the day!