Friday 11th September 2026

News from Upper Prep

Welcome back! It has been lovely to see all the children from Upper Prep start the new school year with such enthusiasm and to hear about all their adventures over the summer. It was good to speak to many of you at our Information Meetings this week too. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s form teacher if you have any questions or concerns this term.

The children in Year 8 have embraced their Captaincy roles and I have been pleased to see them supporting both new pupils and younger children. Some of the Year 7 children read with Year 3 this week and I know they all enjoyed listening and sharing stories. All the Upper Prep children will have the opportunity to support the younger ones this year.

Rehearsals have already begun for our Year 7 and 8 production:  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I am so impressed with the focus and confidence the children showed at our first rehearsals – this promises to be a great show!

Looking ahead to the rest of the term, it is, as ever, packed full with events.

Some dates for your diaries include:
Saturday 12th September at 12pm: Welcome Back BBQ
Friday November 13th: Firework Night 6pm
Thursday December 3rd: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 7pm
Friday December 4th: Natural History Museum Trip Yr 7 and 8

Have a lovely weekend, and hope to see you at the BBQ!
Mrs Mason, Head of Upper Prep & the Upper Prep Staff

News from Prep

Welcome back to school! The children certainly seem to be finding their feet, settling back into routines and finding their rhythm again. I have been so impressed with their attitude – it can be difficult to shake off the summer holiday vibe and get used to timetables, homework, and the demands of school life, but they are definitely ready for it and raring to go!

For our new joiners, it has been lovely to see friendships being formed, and new talents already being developed, both inside and outside the classroom. Our new Year 3 children are now fully settled into life in the Thomas More Centre, and suddenly seem very grown up. A mention must also go to our Year 5 children, who are now managing a full timetable involving different classrooms, different buildings, and different teachers. Resilience has been on show across the board. Well done!

Huge congratulations go to our U11A girls, who were victorious on Wednesday’s very competitive U11 Hockey Tournament at Westbourne House.  It was a great display of skill and teamwork which was richly rewarded. Great work!

Thank you to all the parents who attended the Meet the Form Teachers evening on Wednesday. I hope this proved useful, and any questions were answered.

Representatives for the School Council were elected this week. Congratulations to everyone who has been elected. The School Council is a lovely way for the children’s voices to be heard, and I look forward to hearing their ideas and seeing what changes they suggest for school life.

I hope to get a chance to catch up with many  of you at tomorrow’s “Welcome Back BBQ”.

Miss Tyrrell, Head of Prep

News from Pre-Prep

What a wonderful start to the new school year it has been! I always consider it a huge pleasure to welcome our children back into school after the summer break, and to see familiar faces reunited with friends, teachers and the rhythm of school life. There is always something rather special about the first week back: a mixture of excitement, new shoes, happy chatter and the occasional “Which way is my classroom again?”!

A particularly warm welcome goes to all of our new pupils and their families. We are delighted to have you as part of our school community and hope that you already feel very much at home.

Our Reception children deserve a very special mention this week as they have taken their first steps into school life with such enthusiasm and confidence. Those first few days can feel like a very big adventure – new faces, new routines, a new classroom and so many things to discover. Yet our Reception children have settled beautifully. We have seen smiles at the classroom door, friendships beginning to blossom, curious minds exploring their surroundings and lots of busy learners getting stuck into their new routines. We know this is a milestone that families treasure, too, and we hope you feel very proud of how brilliantly your children have begun their school journey. We certainly are!

Our first week back has also marked the return of Tree Tots this morning, and it was wonderful to see so many new young faces joining our woodland adventures.